the toenail An Important Part Of The Whole

4:19 a.m. this morning.
My heart was awake before the rest of me, slowly stirring me to rise.
Rhythmically the urgency to wake grew stronger, with every beat becoming more distinct in it’s plea.

There is a fine man I know of whose life hangs in the moment.  A moment that has been stretched for more than 7 days now. A moment that has felt a continual rush of prayer.  A moment that has seemed out of focus.  A moment that has created questions and raised emotions.  A moment that has felt stagnant and permanent; whilst at the same time, ravaging and final.  A moment of uncetainty.  A moment unwanted.  A moment.

Dr. Anderson has spent his life dedicated to the health and well-being of our animals.  Our livestock.  Our investments.  Our domesticated pets.  He has also cared for animals without a voice, and without a home.  He’s cared for those abandoned, mistreated & abused, brutally trained and illegally used.  His hands – his gifted, precious hands – have stitched, administered and provided preventative care to our furry and feathered friends for decades.  In private practice, in public shelters and homes.  On roadways.  In backyards and on farms.  Before families.  Before courtrooms.  His efforts have always stayed true to His calling – the care of God’s creatures, great and small.  I’m not just talking about animals.  Dr. Anderson’s spent a lifetime caring for families with animals, as well.  His speech has always been soft and unassuming – a characteristic he has shared with every client, passerby, person in need.

A week ago, Dr. Anderson was attacked by several dogs.  He wasn’t “on the job”, as he retired a few years ago, but it is without a shadow of doubt that I know these dogs were not threatened or provoked by Dr. Anderson.  This attack was nothing short of the result of our world – our fractured, broken world – and it has left him fighting the battle of his life in a hospital.  The road ahead is long and uncertain.  Dr. Anderson has been kept in a medical coma during this past week, to enable his body to fight it’s hardest and allow for maximum healing.  I can only imagine how difficult this must be for his family.  For his wife.  For his children and grandchildren.

This morning, God reminded me that in the moments that seem to linger, and when our uncertainty is overwhelming, He is never, ever apart from us.  This moment while we see a man’s body fighting and trying to heal, I have no doubt Dr. Anderson rests in the company of our Savior.  While doctors and medical personnel care for the flesh, Our God in Heaven is holding Dr. Anderson, preparing him for this part of his testimony.  His story.  I know this, because Dr. Anderson is a child of God.  He accepted Jesus’s calling and has shown the world the Light of the Son.  Dr. Anderson’s story has already been scripted, from beginning to end.  This is the promise of our Father God.  Right now, in this moment – this lingering, numbing moment – we can’t see the rest of the story God has planned, BUT KNOW THIS, God works all things for good for those who believe in Him.  All things.  Every. Single. One.  And as messed up and difficult this moment is today, we can take refuge and comfort in knowing that Dr. Anderson’s witness – his life, his legacy, his passions – will forever be for God’s Glory.

Please pray for Dr. Anderson and his family.  Pray for our community.  Pray for the lives that have been touched by Dr. Andrson, and those that will be.  His story is far from over.  How about yours?

To know Jesus Christ and to have a close and personal relationship with Him, is to recognize that you are a story He is author of.  Have you submitted your life to Christ?  I beg you, please, do not let a moment in time for you be one without hope.  Our life here is very fragile, and everything  you find comfort in of this world is only temporary.  Dr. Anderson didn’t know in advance that he’d be in this moment, this battle.  And no one would ever have imagined the gentle hands that have cared for so many animals over the years would one day be turned upon by the very one’s who benefited from the love they gave.  Don’t wait.  Don’t procrastinate.  Seek His face and He will scoop you up and show you how special the story is He has written just for you.

Articles about Dr. Anderson:
http://www.scnow.com/news/politics/article_70b2beae-794d-11e3-808f-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm