Good to go!

It's a beautiful morning here on the Knolltop!  And I've got some good news.

For those who hadn't heard, I'll start at the beginning.  During basketball season, Luke took a hard fall and hurt his knee.  Like I always do when the kids complain, I just say, hmmmm....keep an eye on it, and usually it goes away.  But this time Luke kept telling me his knee hurt and it wasn't until he told JW that he couldn't go "catch" him early one morning because it killed him to squat, that I stood up and took action. 

I made an appointment with the doctor, we were sent to the Orthopedic surgeon and after X-rays and an MRI, we sat and waited for Dr. Anderson to come in and tell us the news.  I was prepared for the worst but Luke and his father weren't.  You see, his first game of the season was that afternoon at 4 pm and Luke thought he would suit up and squat behind that plate, frame those pitches and be just fine.  But when Dr. Anderson said, no baseball, put this brace on and keep it on for 4-6 weeks, the real pain and anguish of sitting out for a season of his absolute favorite sport was written all over his face.  I wanted to jump up and hug him as his face got red and his eyes began to water.  But I remained in my seat and prayed instead.

That was a very dark day for this 17 year old.  But God was just beginning His work.  As I shared this news with my small group and asked them to pray, those warriors went boldly to the throne of God on Luke's behalf and quietly they remained steadfast in their prayers for the next three weeks. 

As the season started, JW was also disappointed that he younger brother wouldn't be catching him.  Instead he would be taking over the catching duties for the other pitchers during practice and even donned the catchers gear for a game or two.  JW garnered a deep respect for those catchers and the work they do while Luke garnered a deeper respect for the ability just to play the game.  He stood on the sidelines and cheered on his team.  And when they came in from the huddle, I watched his stiff legged kid pat his teammates on the back and pick them up when they were down...waiting and wondering when or if he would get in the game.

Yesterday we went to the doctor again for a check up.  Luke climbed in the back seat of the truck with his baseball gear that had been gathering dust for the last three weeks.  There was a game that afternoon and Luke was sure he would be dressing for it while I had again, prepared myself to hear that he would be in that brace for another three weeks.  I tried to warn Luke that he might not hear good news, but my warning fell on deaf ears.

We entered the exam room and Dr. Anderson came in shortly after we arrived.  He took the brace off and examined Luke.  Bending his leg, pressing on his kneecap, asking if anything hurt.  Before, Luke would whince in pain, now nothing hurt.  The doctor kept asking, "Does this hurt? Does this hurt? What about this?" And Luke's answer was always 'No.'  I watched his face carefully for any indications of pain, there were none.

Then the doctor said what Luke wanted to hear and what I wasn't prepared for, "You're good to go!"  I asked, "So if he wanted to play this afternoon in his baseball game, he could?"  And he said yes.  I kept giving him scenarios and he kept reassuring me that as long as Luke began slow and did certain exercises, he would be fine... he was healed!

Luke walked out on cloud nine and was all smiles.  As we dropped him off at school and I walked him into the office to give them the doctor's note, I told Luke, "You know this is God's answer to prayer, don't you? There have been a lot of people praying for you the last three weeks, especially all those ladies at my Bible study and God did this for you.  He's given you the desire of your heart."

A small grin came over Luke's face and he said quietly, "Yeah, I know."

Because of this injury, Luke's desire to play baseball is stronger than ever.  This morning I came in from milking and he had already been up, run four miles and was showered and ready for school.  It's amazing how God appears front and center when we encounter a setback.  He's always there, ready and waiting for us to come and ask for help....and then he provides it....the perfect kind of help we need!