In January of 2004, I had major surgery on my stomach and after a week, I was home recuperating.  Two weeks later I was back in the hospital.  I had developed a blood clot in my left leg.  So, for the next year, I spent a lot of time in my chair.

It was hard at first not being able to go and do the things I was used to doing.  My husband and granddaughter had to do everything in the house, even cooking.  I missed going to Bible Studies and Church for a long time.  I missed singing in the choir, even after I was able to return, however in a wheelchair.

My friends from Church came to visit me a lot at first, but after a while, I spent a lot of time alone.  I knew that people were praying for me and I received many calls and cards.  It was great encouragement to know that people cared.

I had a choice to make, either to be miserable and not accept my circumstances or make the best of it.  I knew verses from the Bible that taught me that there was a reason for suffering and that good could come from it.

I started reading a lot of good books, Christian novels for the most part.  Then one day at Church we were given a challenge to pray for 30 minutes a day for 30 days.  It was specifically for God to direct us to a new Pastor, which we had been without for a year.  They gave us a book to guide our praying and a card with all of the names on the pulpit search committee.  At first, I thought this commitment would be impossible. I could never remember, or so I thought.  But, nevertheless, my husband and I made the commitment to pray.

I started praying for these men and women each day, by name and before long I had memorized the whole list.  We were also reading a chapter from Proverbs each day.

God started giving me more people to pray for and their specific needs.  The list kept getting longer than 30 minutes to cover it all.  I had to write it down in my journal.  God was teaching me to pray and to intercede for all those on my list.

Then a young man from Church asked me to pray for him.  He started calling me in the morning and we would pray for and with each other over the phone.  What a blessing.  God has given me a love for the people that I pray for.

Even the members of my family started giving me specific things I could pray for in their lives.  This has brought us closer to each other and to God.

People are thankful when you tell them you are praying for them.  I started praying that God would give me a ministry that I could do from chair.  He gave me a burden for women in my class that are going blind.  They cannot see well enough to read the Bible or a daily devotional.  So God provided a way for me to record devotions on tape for them to listen to.

Within the last month, God has given me the opportunity to write some devotional thoughts.  I don’t know as yet, how He is going to use them, but, as I found out, He can use anything that we will do for Him.

It is exciting.  I could have just wasted all of those hours in self pity.  Instead, God has taught me some valuable lessons while sitting in my chair.