Broken-repaired-replaced

I was looking at some older photos of myself the other day and I could not help but notice how crooked my nose looked. I reflected back to the day I went in to see my Eye/Ear/Nose doctor and he examined me. I was having all kinds of problems with non-stop sinus infections, allergies, constant headaches, and I could not breathe through my nose.

The doctor looked at my nose, and remarked, “God what a nose. You not only have a deviated septum, it is tied in knots! What happened to you?” I told him that I had a “rough” life. I had broken my nose seven times, mostly from various fights, but once playing football. I was a tight end and went out for a pass. The ball was thrown too far over my head. I was running full speed, but adrenalin kicked in and I sped up with a burst of effort derived from deep inside and reached out and caught the ball on the tips of my fingers. I heard someone yell, “Look out!”

The next thing I remember I was having smelling salts placed under my nose and several people were crowded around me trying to revive me. I had run full speed headlong into the goal post. Back in the old days when I played football, we had goal posts that were constructed out of metal pipes, and they were not setback at the back of the end zone with offset uprights with padded cushions surrounding them; they were bare metal pipes located right on the goal line with no padding. I was running at maximum full speed and my face smashed head-on into a solid metal goal post. We had single bar face masks and my head was elevated when I hit the goal post and my helmet went flying into the air allowing my bare face, (nose), to receive the full impact smashing it. I received a badly broken nose and a brain concussion. (And yes I dropped the ball, and it was ruled an incomplete pass instead of a touchdown.)

I had two black eyes and my nose was badly swollen for weeks thereafter. This bad break combined with other injuries through the years including some well placed and forcefully delivered right hooks had taken their toll on my nose. The Eye/Ear/Nose surgeon performed gruesome surgery on it to chisel and graft it back to perfection and also removed some polyps from deep inside while he was at it. When he finished he packed it tightly with what seemed like a hundred yards of gauze.

After the surgery I endured much pain for weeks thereafter; the worst of which was when he removed the hundred or so yards of packing by ripping yard after yard of it from my nose tearing it free from dried blood firmly attached to the inside of my nose. (Does that make you’re your eyes water? It made mine water too!) However I will say that even though I had to endure horrendous pain, since that operation, to say my life has vastly improved would be a vast understatement. No more sinus infections, allergies, constant headaches, I can breathe through my nose yet again, and my nose is perfectly straight. Ahhhh.

I was reminded of this series of events and then I reflected on how my eyes are rapidly deteriorating to the point that I just cannot see without reading glasses. This is VERY frustrating! I am told that unlike my nose condition, there is no operation that will repair my vision as it is related to old age and eye muscles becoming stretched and hardened and not to lense problems that can be corrected via any of the new laser surgeries that are so common these days. I also thought about how arthritis is taking its toll on various areas of my body. I am told there is no cure for it and I will just have to endure the pain. I have other maladies but I will not bore you to tears with them.

As I was lying in bed this morning and thinking about all of this, I came to the conclusion that I need more than just a nose job or repairs; I need a complete overhaul or even a new body. It made me think of how nice it will be when we receive our new glorified bodies. We will have no defects or poorly functioning body parts ever again. We will not grow old and feeble and we will never be sick or have a disease. We will be perfect forever just like Jesus Christ.

Youngsters will probably not appreciate the true blessing of this, but those of us whose former youthful healthy and strong bodies are spiraling down to the pits will really appreciate it. There is much that I dread about getting old and having my health start deteriorating; however I look forward to receiving my brand new glorified body and other of God’s eternal rewards with great anticipation as I draw nearer to that final day on this earth.

According to the Bible our lives on this earth are short and full of trouble, but eternity is everlasting and full of peace and joy. We must be purified prior to joining our Lord and Savior and unfortunately we must endure some pain in this world to get there. I think of my broken nose and the years of fighting through this life. The surgeon repaired my broken nose and today my nose is perfectly straight and functions very well. Soon the master surgeon of all surgeons, God, will completely replace our broken bodies with wonderful GLORIFIED bodies and we will enjoy our youth throughout eternity Oh yeah!

Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in us.