Miss Edison. Second grade. Such a sweet, sweet lady. Had started teaching at a time when teachers rarely got married. She would retire the next year, but she gave me a tremendous gift in the understanding of language. Obviously I could speak. It was second grade, after all. But she gave me an insight as to how language worked. She was explaining the word 'vacate.' "You take a vacation when you vacate your home and go away." Nothing more than that, but I have always been on the watch for other examples of how language works.

    So, what does that have to do with anything? Well, first, it isn't always enough that we can speak the language. By knowing how it evolved we can understand it better.

    Second, there is the whole idea of 'vacation.'

    If you are reading this the day it is posted, I was going to get to spend time with my granddaughter this afternoon, because I am on vacation! Oh, how I have been looking forward to pinching her little cheeks! Except, I am here in Indiana.

    Now if you have time off and you are not going away, it has come to called a stay-cation. Kind of a warp on then language, but descriptive. Since I usually don't vacation well, stay-cation was fine. Until I became grandpa. But, I am in Indiana, so this is a stay-cation. 

    But, not an intended stay-cation. What I am enduring right now is a sick-cation. A scheduled vacation has turned into something I am not enjoying at all. 

    But, is it wasted? 

    Last week I got sick. After two days of barely being able to move, I called an ambulance. Next followed several days in the hospital. All were in agreement that I was sick, but there was never a diagnosis given, even on my discharge papers. At one point they slipped a little bacon into my potato soup (They didn't really try to kill me. They knew I had a pork allergy, they just didn't know their potato soup had bacon in it) and I got even sicker. The end result is, I am still very much under the weather.

    But, again, is it wasted?

    I feel that when something happens to one of God's servants, there is a reason. We pray for God to use us, but we really only pray for that use to be made on our schedule. However, if you are really serious about God using you, you accept you situation.

    After ER, I was taken to a room. The nurse was checking me in and she kept looking at me like there was a question. Suddenly, her face cleared. "YOU'RE THAT PREACHER FROM OVER HERE! Cool!" That was an interesting reaction. "Yes, I am a pastor. Do I know you?" "Two years ago I was a floor nurse at Huntington and you were a patient. I was going through a hard time and you held my hand and prayed with me!" To be honest, right then I so sick I was wishing I had died two years ago. But when she said that, I did remember. We talked for a bit more, and then she left for her other duties. 

    The next day I learned that the day nurse for that day was married to a pastor. They are in the struggle of him working a full time job and pastoring the small church. I have been there and done that, so we had a conversation. Later, another nurse came in (a male nurse) because they were so busy and my nurse was elsewhere. He asked about my shoulder surgery, which was only noted as a previous surgery, and I explained it was from breaking my shoulder while coaching wrestling while I was in college. Turns out, he had been a college wrestler at Missouri Baptist College. Now he is a nurse and married and a daddy and active in his church. Later, a therapist came in. Also a former wrestler, he is also a Christian and is active in his church. The next day another therapist came in who was almost over the top with his witness for Christ. Fun to talk to. Altogether, I made several new friends and prayed with three.

    Then yesterday, at the doctor's office, I had a long wait for the doctor. During that time  I prayed with three nurses. So many people, so many struggles.

    I do want to be clear; I do not advertise that I am a pastor. I just talk to people. I sometimes listen and then tell them that I will pray for them. Sometimes I will ask if I can pray for them right then. I have found that so many have something going on and rarely will anyone turn down prayer.

    So, here is the point to all of this. We engage with people all the time. AND, we are Christians. We have the greatest story ever told. If, while we are engaging with people, our language is not the best, we can't give them any Spiritual help. "Well, I know, but they understand when I get frustrated!" They may understand the human side of frustration, but they are not going to understand the Spiritual side of being able to overcome frustration. We engage with people all the time, but if we are buried in our phones, how do we share? We engage with people all the time, but how do you get around to the Lord? It is conversation, allowing yourself to be used, opening yourself to be used of the Spirit, not just feeling good in the Spirit.

    I told my son I would make it out later. For now, on my sick-cation, I will be content.