God is good. Period.

I have had a steady stream of "how are you feeling" questions since my surgery two weeks ago today.

 It was extensive; complete tendon reattachment, shredded bicep repair, and a 5.5 mm bone spur shaved off. They pegged tendon back into a bone the drilled into, sewed and glued muscle, and ground bone away.

Today I took two extra strength Tylenol for stiffness.I slept seven hours. My stitches came out Monday and they were all ready starting to heal over.

Months before my surgery I had pain only when I tried to lift weight to the side. The week before the procedure I was in the water for a four-hour-long surf session on decent waves with a fair amount of paddling. The day before I could do pain-free push-ups and pull-ups. Up to the moment they put me under I had total mobility of my arm.

When I share how I am doing my surgical team shake their heads and check again. Half my friends say "wow" and the other half says "God is good"

I agree with them all..but for the record God is good and would have remained so had I been in constant pain and the procedure failed.

Why?

His goodness is not dependent upon my situation in life. He is good because he is God.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
     for his steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
 

Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

to him who alone does great wonders,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
 

to him who by understanding made the heavens,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
 

to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
 

to him who made the great lights,
    

 for his steadfast love endures forever;
the sun to rule over the day,
     

for his steadfast love endures forever;
the moon and stars to rule over the night,
   

 for his steadfast love endures forever;

God is good whether the president of the United States of America is a Democrat, Republican or even Tea Party.

God is good when I get a close spot to the mall entrance and when I do not.

He is good when I have a job and when I am unemployed. He is good when I have a house and when I am homeless. He is good when I am sick and when I am well. He was good when I buried my son and was good when I first heard my daughters cry.

So how am I?

I am grateful.

I am grateful for the care I have received, for my daughters who paint my armpits with deodorant, for the gift of having to ask friends to cut my food, and the countless folks who have offered help.

But I am most thankful for the first two days of pain, for in them I was reminded of the suffering of Jesus who endured so much more so that I would be made well and whole.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--  and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.