Last Chance Workout

I began my new rotation this week and my patient case load isn’t exactly what I had hoped for from a clinical standpoint but my patients are more than I expected from a entertaining standpoint. In four days, I have heard some very interesting and hilarious stories/comments. Yesterday, I met a woman who told me she was Mary Magdalene (be jealous that I met Mary at WVUH and you didn’t) and I also met an 86 year old man that told me he lived with his parents because they needed help around the house. If my 86 year old son is ever taking care of me; please help me. If these individuals had cognitive issues; I would never make fun of them. Fortunately, their comments were due to high dosages of pain medicine and confusion as a result of being awoken abruptly. Today, my streak of priceless conversations continued when I went to work with a lady who had recently fallen and was awaiting surgery for her broken arm. When I walked in and stated that I was with physical therapy she said, “Are you working with me because I am fat and I am sore? This is going to be just like The Biggest Loser.” Caught completely off guard, I responded with, “I like ice cream too much to be a trainer. I just want to go for a walk and look at your arm.” After we walked (she kept me laughing the entire time), I safely returned her to her room unharmed. As I was leaving she asked me for a snack, assuring me that she also liked ice cream.

I haven’t found the secret stash of ice cream on the 9^th floor of the hospital but I was able to get my patient out of bed for the first time in a few days and removed her hair band that had been bothering her for days. (She was convinced that the doctors in the ER put knot balls in her head.) My workout wouldn’t stand a chance on the biggest loser (and I wouldn’t stand a chance with Jullian Michaels) but this patient reminded me that not all shows on TV are a waste of time. I used to watch the Biggest Loser and my favorite part was always the last chance workout. It was my favorite part, because it allowed the viewers to see the heart and determination of each contestant. Satan reminds me of the contestants doing their last chance workouts. He knows that this is his absolute last chance to win souls. He knows that God is so very close to coming back for His people so Satan is busting out all of his tricks, schemes, and lies. He is working harder than ever before to ruin the lives of God’s children. His hurt is greater. His destruction more unbearable. His lies more heart wrenching. His attempts more often. And his ploys harder to recognize. He won’t stop. He has the determination and the corrupt heart to fight until the very end. Satan wants to beat us up and attack us until we stop believing in God. He wants us to continue carrying him on our backs so he has free reign in our lives. He doesn’t have any place in our lives friends and if you truly want to win your last chance workout, take off the saddle and demand that Satan flee from your life. Demand that he spend his time beating up on someone else because you like God (or ice cream) too much to spend your time exercising your faith.

The contestants on The Biggest Loser are determined to change their entire lifestyle in order see positive results and put their selves through extreme workouts in order to be successful in their individual journeys. Satan is determined to change our entire lifestyle and put himself through extreme workouts in order to get the results he wants. But despite all of his efforts, he will still be declared the Biggest Loser in the end. And I will be eating ice cream with Jesus.

Verse to remember:  2 Timothy 3:1-5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.