Finish with Joy - Acts 20:24

When we wake up how often do we thank God for the new day, for another day to see what glorification's can be done, to enjoy and glorify the day with purpose?

Acts 20:24 reads … However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

This was the devotional passage that Betty and Graydon went through one day last week and it really hit home. Isn’t this all that we are to strive to do? Finish with Joy? We all will be called home eventually to see our Father in Heaven, but only when we have finished the race, or completed that task that the Lord has given us to do. Graydon has spent most of his life testifying the good news of God’s grace and he is striving to finish his race to complete the tasks that the Lord has given to him, and he’s doing just that in the hospital.

Today he was still positive, still being graceful, polite and loving. However, you could see the tiredness, weakness and exhaustion in his eyes, face and body language. When we got there this afternoon not long after lunch, we were told that he had been on NPO since breakfast. NPO, means no food or drink because a procedure would be done. The last time we had an NPO the procedure did not get done, however today was much different.

After going day-by-day with meds going up and down, Sunday Graydon was removed from all IV meds after being slowly weaned off of them. Today his labs were not good so the heart cath had to be done. Today they performed the right aortic heart cath. Betty, Carol and I walked with the nurses as they rolled him on the gurney down the elevator and hallways to the procedure room and we were led to the waiting room. Oh goodness, that was the longest 1 hour and 15 minute wait ever that I recall us ever having. Then we had to wait for the doctor in a consult room, then we were quickly reminded that a 15 minute wait can feel like 2 hours. He did well during the procedure and this procedure told us a few things:

1.      That his body is wet, not dry like they had thought. He has fluid build up and a lot of it.
2.      The BP (blood pressure) meds have worked and his valves are expanded like they’re supposed to be, which is a good thing. He doesn’t have to have his BP meds increased or have a BP med drip.
3.      He will have to go on a heavy duty lasix drip for about 2 days to try and dry him up.

Carol summarized it the best to her kids, his heart is like a water balloon. His heart is expanded so much like a water balloon that his heart can’t pump the blood properly. When the blood can’t be pumped properly then his kidneys can’t pass the fluid like they’re supposed to.

The ultimate goal is to get his body controlled on oral medication. So far the oral medication for his BP is working, but we need to find a happy medium for the lasix and BP meds to work together to keep both his heart and kidney’s happy.

A few weeks ago during one of the other updates, I spoke about how he had told us his good-byes and that he was at peace with whatever is to happen. He is still that way. He is finishing his race like he wants to if it is his time to go with integrity, compassion and love for the Lord.

The prayer that was with the above mentioned devotional:

Father, help me run with integrity and finish with joy.