OUT TO PASTOR: Some things do have a purpose

One thing I have learned in life is that some things do have a purpose no matter how bad they seem at the time.

They don’t seem to have any purpose when they happen, but you later discover a significant purpose behind it.

I try to prepare for everything in life, but there are many things that I just can’t prepare for. I learned this after I got married.

The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage has often teased me about not having a brain.

When I flub up something, she looks at me, puts both hands on her hips, and says, “Don’t you have a brain?”

With all the evidence on the table, I cannot verify that I actually do have a brain. According to her assessment, if I had a brain, a lot of the stuff I flub up wouldn’t get flubbed up. But, as The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage says, “It is what it is.”

When I’m in trouble and can’t figure something out, she usually says, “Don’t you have a working brain to help you here?”

The way things turned out, I could not answer in the affirmative.

I like to think I have a brain, but the evidence along that line is not very strong.

Lately, things have begun to turn around to my benefit.

I had a health issue; I think it was some kind of flu bug, which hit me pretty hard. During one of my Sunday services, while preaching, I almost passed out. Because we were in a nursing home facility, a nurse came in and took my blood pressure. At the time, it didn’t read very well.

It was then that the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage told him that I had to be taken to the hospital. I didn’t quite understand what was happening at the time, so I just went along with where they took me. What choice did I have?

I spent a day in the hospital and finally got out and was able to schedule a visit with my physician. He checked me over and said he thought I needed to have one of those MRIs.

At the time, I did not know what they were. But according to what I understood, it was some brain scan to see if I had a mini-stroke or something.

Given my state of health, I agreed with the doctor, who set up an appointment for me to have an MRI.

I never had one before, but I was to learn what the MRI stood for: Make Room for Intrusion. And boy, was my head ever intruded.

I went to have the MRI, and they set me up and did all the preparatory things. They took me to the room where the MRI took place, prepared me, and then put earplugs in my ears. At the time, I had no idea what that was for. I would soon learn.

According to the technician who was with me, I was to spend 25 minutes under that machine, and there would be noise.

Boy, was that an understatement.

As soon as I got under, the noise hit me like thunder from out of nowhere. I never heard noise quite like that before. It almost sounded like old rock ‘n’ roll music. Although, not quite as stupid. No, I did not start singing.

When it was over, they pulled me out, I sat up, and I couldn’t hear a thing. I looked at the nurse serving me and said, “I can’t hear anything.”

Looking at me and smiling, she said, “Well, if you took your earplugs out you might be able to hear.”

It was an adventure I hope I don’t have to repeat anytime soon. But I had a brain scan and I went to the office and ordered copies of my brain scan, which they gave to me.

When I went home, I took the disk with the pictures of my brain and printed off. I looked at it again and said to myself, “Self, you do have a brain after all.”

I then took a copy of that picture of my brain out and showed it to The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage.

“See here, my dear, I do have a brain after all.”

I can’t explain how happy I was to prove to my wife that after all of the nonsense I created throughout the years, I actually did have a brain.

I showed it to her, chuckled, and smiled.

She studied the picture for a few moments, looked back at me, and said, “Well, this proves you do have a brain but it doesn’t prove that you use your brain.”

Even though I have a brain, I didn’t see that coming.

I keep that picture with me all the time so that I can show people that I do have a brain. If I hadn’t had that incident, I would not have gone in for an MRI, and I would not have proof in my hand that I have a brain.

While looking at the picture of my brain I thought of a scripture in Jeremiah 29:11,

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

No matter what I think, God has a purpose for my life. Each day is an opportunity to trust Him for that purpose.

Dr. James L. Snyder lives in Ocala, FL with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. Telephone is (352) 216-3025, e-mail is jamessnyder51@gmail.com, and website is www.jamessnyderministries.com