“and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

How did I become a double amputee and a prisoner of war?

So there was in the hills of South Korea. Everything was calm. The gentle breeze billowed from the river. Birds were singing while fluttering from limb to limb on nearby trees. Suddenly the peace was disrupted and replaced with pure chaos.

In the bushes, surrounding the steep embankment, circled the young Korean boy. He carefully stalked this young Australian woman, who was minding her own business and enjoying the afternoon. Suddenly, the Korean attacked, pinning the Aussie to the ground where she fought for her life.

I sprung into action, fighting off the massive Korean boy. I scooped up my Aussie friend and raced down the embankment toward safety, sliding down the hill along the way.

My dogs.

It was my dogs.

Two of our dogs, Jin-Ho and Zoe, were outside enjoying their bones. Jin-Ho is a Jindo/Malinois mix, which we adopted in 2021. Zoe is a mini Australian Shepherd who was gifted to me in 2016. Jin-Ho finished his bone and decided he wanted Zoe’s. The fight was on!

Zoe had to be rushed to the vet, where she received stitches in her neck. She was cleaned up and given pain meds and antibiotics. In the rush of things, I ran out of the house with nothing but socks on my feet. I was more concerned about her safety than mine at that point.

When I slid down the embankment, I apparently had stepped on a piece of glass. I treated the wound but didn’t know there was a tiny, tiny, piece still in my foot. We went to the ER, where it was misdiagnosed as gout. They also missed the fracture to my big toe. The steroid they prescribed fed the infection, which left me with two fewer piggies.

Two weeks in a hospital will make one feel like a POW! Sleep deprivation, tortured, small jail cell, chained to monitors, guards at every door, and constantly asking for info. Remember – Name, Rank, Serial Number!

My dogs’ disagreement over a bone reminds me of Esau and Jacob’s squabble over birthrights. Jin-Ho was trying to be sneaky and take what wasn’t his. Now, the bone wasn’t an inheritance, but it might as well have been in his mind. He saw it. And he wanted it. So he took it.

Like the story of Esau and Jacob, you cannot like and cheat your way into God’s will. If He promised it, He will give it – in His own time! Jacob learned that lesson the hard way and was forced to leave his home.

We were born with a conscience, and it’s always been there. We all have a small inner voice that helps us make decisions, no matter what the circumstances are. A sinner’s voice becomes quieter and softer until it’s scarcely audible.

Every single one of us is a sinner. And death is the penalty for sin. We are not so much ruined by doing evil as we are condemned by not repenting and turning away from our ways. One person’s sin often leads to another person’s sin. Similarly, without God, no wrong can be made adequate.

There are consequences for our actions.  We can’t plant weeds and expect to grow roses.  In the same way, we can’t sin and expect righteousness.

We forget as Christians that we are not immune to the repercussions of our actions. Even if our offenses have been forgiven, the repercussions will inevitably come. Jacob had to flee his house since he couldn’t afford to stay there any longer. The garden was taken away from Adam and Eve. Lot’s wife and he were transformed into salt pillars.

No one got the bone that day. Jin-Ho learned the power of my finger and a firm no. Sadly, not soon enough!

There are a lot of should-of, could-of, and would-of’s that could be pondered in my recovery. None of which serve any purpose. Regardless, God brought me here for a reason. Why? I may never truly know.

I do know that God has a way of bringing us back and sometimes it takes something big to get our attention. Yeah, my uncle called knothead, but that was just a term of endearment, right? Additionally, my husband says I’m an Arkansas hellcat and stubborn. Personally, I think they’re crazy!

However, seeing how it’s taken something like this to get my attention, they might be right. Just don’t tell them that, okay?