Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Lynda Jensen Column, 8/6/2001



I’ll be the first to admit that I like convenience.

Convenience is a symptom of our busy world. Every week,
we run like gangbusters, don’t we? Can any of us take on more ballast?

May I suggest that we set aside our appetite for convenience
for three tiny little months. Why?

Because the businesses along Highway 12 are in a critical
situation (or they will be – business owners are just starting to feel the
effects right now) and they need us.

You would be amazed at how little the amount of time it
takes to ruin a business that took a lifetime to build.

Imagine losing your job (or what would be a business’ income)
for three months, while your expenses just keep rolling in. How many bills
do you have for three months?

I heard about a small town under highway construction a
few years ago (I can’t remember the town), and the only thing that kept
a bed and breakfast alive was the patronage of the road workers using its
services.

I think that past experience has taught the state to be
more accommodating to small towns in this respect.

Just think! Think of the faith that all of these business
owners have in Howard Lake. Every single one of them, at one time or another,
plunked a chunk of money down, or financed themselves into oblivion, committing
their lives to serving Howard Lake.

They say that for a ham and eggs breakfast, the hen was
obligated, but the pig was “committed.” I think these businesses
are committed to Howard Lake’s future.

When I heard that Joe Drusch was expanding his sports shop,
I thought “Wow! That guy sure has a lot of faith!” Either that
or he’s crazy.

Now, there’s an example of a guy who is willing to put
his faith into Howard Lake’s future.

He’s putting his money where his mouth is. How about you?

Take a vow

Let me propose something to you, the reader.

Take a vow to use at least one local business every day
of the week during construction. Twice is better.

If you can’t be useful buying local goods and services
the rest of the year, then do your part now, when you’re needed.

Grit your teeth – paste a smile on your face (because God
loves a cheerful giver) – and sacrifice your darn convenience and precious
time for the businesses here.

Upon reflection of my lower back surgery, I had time to
think about my truly amazing recovery.

Ever since my surgery, I have felt like my normal self,
since day one (with the exception of very little soreness where my nine
staples were). Very little soreness. Really.

Looking back, I can say with all honesty that the turning
point for me was after a special service at a church member’s house.

My church family (at the Dassel Church of Christ) could
plainly see my pain, even though I never called the prayer chain about it.

I remember that I had to walk up and down this sloped hill
(slopes were the hardest to negotiate), trying to walk, standing in plain
sight of everyone, to get to our car. I had to lay down for a while in
the back seat, during the service, even though I wanted to hear the message
so much.

My prescription was the same – Tylenol with codeine, and
something called oxycontin, which is equivalent to morphine. I had to take
these two different kinds of pills for about eight weeks – three weeks of
codeine and the rest with the oxycontin, along with an assortment of other
pills.

The next morning after the service, I felt absolutely different.
My pain was completely gone, although it was replaced with an incessant
tingling sensation (this was because two pieces of disc were pressing against
my nerve in my lower back). Later, surgery would remove these pieces.

My recovery has absolutely astounded everyone I know.

What’s the rest of the story? It’s the power of prayer.
I think it’s the strongest force on earth, because it’s asking for God’s
strength.

I found out later that my church family started praying
for me that Sunday night. It was the only thing different at that time.

But, it’s not like a mail-order catalog

Keep in mind that prayer isn’t like room service or a mail-order
catalog. In fact, God gives us what we need and not what we want, most of
the time.

Do we give everything our children want? Nope. So it
is with God.

So many times when I was young, I’ve wished for something
so hard, only to find out later – with the benefit of hindsight – that it
was the worst thing possible for me.

Knowing the future is a luxury, isn’t it? We don’t know
squat about the future, do we? We sure act like we are do. But God is
wise.

God knows what the future brings, what the past brought
and what the present is, here and now.

Aside from this, it is my experience that spiritual growth
only happens when people are in distress.

Maybe God is trying to teach you patience or give you a
lesson in something the hard way.

In fact, human beings are the only creatures that are arrogant
and dumb enough to look straight into the Maker’s eyes and question his
ability to run the universe. Wouldn’t the universe be a fine mess if any
of us ran it? We all have such limited knowledge!

So – I say praise the Lord for hearing my prayer. But
even if he didn’t grant my wish, there’s always a reason that God has for
his perfect purpose.

God is wonderful and awesome.

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