The Road Atlas on my Arms

Greetings Everybody,
This morning I want to visit with you about a phenomenon that has been occurring in my body: Transparency

Those of you who read this blog faithfully will recall that I am a severe asthmatic and that I have mentioned that there is a really long list of medications that I take daily, just to be able to breathe in and out.

Among those medications are several respiratory sterioids.

And these meds have some fairly significant potential side effects that can impact eyes, bone density, joints, weight, and even skin thickness.

I have dealt with several of those impacts.

-Yes I have had 3 eye surgeries in each eye.
-Yes I have dealt with the joint pain.
-Yes I have dealt with the weight gain.

-No, thus far I have not had the osteoporosis issue, but my doctors anticipate that I will inevitably contend with this as well.

-However, this morning, I really want to focus on the skin impacts.

These meds are really thinning my skin.

Little by little I am becoming transparent.

I am not kidding with you when I say that my arms look like somebody drew a road atlas on them.

Even my husband has noticed it.

At first he was too polite to mention it, but when I talked with him about it, he said that he had been wondering what was happening to my skin.

Both of us can see this intricate blood vessel highway system all over them.

It's actually kind of amazing to look at:
-The Big Blue ones are like the major highways.
-The Medium ones are like streets. 
-And the Small ones are like small alleys.

Yep the ARM edition of Grace's Circulatory Sytem Road Atlas seems to be very intricate and well charted.

But I must admit that it's a little bit weird.
And slightly disconcerting.

To be truthful, initially I was really "ooked out" by this.

I mean, this is NOT what a 53 year old woman's skin is supposed to be like.
-I don't have wrinkles.
-I am not decrepit.
-I am vibrant and energetic.
And wowzers, people don't generally get transparent until they are way up in their 90's... right?

And then it hit me.

This glorious, epiphany of insight went off like the 4th of July inside my brain.

That's RIGHT...people DON'T generally become Transparent until they are Nearly Done With This Life.

Think back...
We have all seen elderly people who have bruises and 
band-aids and purple blotches on their arms & legs because their skin is so thin that it tears easily.

This condition occurs in those who have lived long lives.
And It generally means that they are approaching the relative end of their allotted time here on this earth. 

Right?

I do not think that it is an accident that the closer you are to the end of your long life, the less solid and more transparent you become.

I think it is a signal that humans are about to "shed their skin "and become Made NEW!

Christians await that day with rejoicing in their hearts.

We yearn for Heaven.
The only way to get there is to finish this time here.
And if we live long enough, we get to see ourselves begin to change.

So there ya have it.

I nearly danced at the thought.
I am getting to see the metamorphosis.
I am cheering at the process.

It's Symbolic.

I know that this transparency phenomenon that is going on with my body, is actually beng caused pre-maturely. I get that.
But still...
it is a very Literal reminder to me of a very Spiritual truth.

I am going to be made New!
-One day I will be be with Christ.
-One day this body will be gone.
-One day I will not have asthma any more!!!

I may not be able to do a thing about this current Road Atlas on my arms, but I CAN rejoice in my newfound Spiritual Perspective.

What is happening on my arms, is only a preview of what willone day happen to the rest of me.

I am daily becoming Less and Less an Earthly being and More and More a Child of God who belongs in Heaven.

It's true that I could sit around and whine about all the blue lines on my arms.  

And I know that there will most likely come a day when I will have all the bruises and band-aids and the purple blotches so common to the elderly. 

(Because of the respiratory steroids side effects, I will probably get to that point long before my friends do.)

But I choose to rejoice at this very physical reminder that as I am becoming more and more transparent it means that I am getting closer and closer to they day when I get to go Heaven.

Less of Me.
More of YOU Oh God.
Transform Me Oh LORD!

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12: 2

AMEN!

In Him,
Grace