Bag of Hammers

I'm sure many of you who are members of my generation remember the 80s sitcom Family Ties. And I'm sure many of you, like me, watched the program faithfully each week. Perhaps because I grew up on the fringe of hippie times or perhaps because my three children were born during the years the show aired, I could identify with the parents Elyse and Steven Keaton. While each member of the cast was a star in his or her own right throughout the run of the comedy, it was the young actor who played the role of Elyse and Steven's young Republican son, Alex P. Keaton, who ultimately became the most famous and well known. Michael J. Fox won three consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Family Ties, and then he went on to star in the Back to the Future film series. In recent years, however, Mr. Fox has become known for something other than acting ... he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at the young age of 30 and has since become a strong advocate for research into finding a cure.

While I don't agree with all of his beliefs concerning methods that should be pursued in trying to find a cure, I have a ton of respect for the way Mr. Fox has dealt with having Parkinson's disease. My dad had Parkinson's, and it's a really cruddy disease ... for those who have it, they know what's coming down the path; and what's coming down the path isn't something anyone would want to face. It is also impressive to me that Mr. Fox has been married to his wife Tracy Pollan for almost 24 years, and by all accounts, they have a phenomenal marriage and are loving and committed parents to their four children. I watched an interview yesterday with Mr. Fox, and he uttered a statement concerning his Parkinson's disease that I've heard him say before ... a statement that moves me every time I hear it or read it. "You know everybody gets their bag of hammers. This is just my bag of hammers, and I can handle it." Talk about putting things in perspective and having a good attitude about an illness that isn't fair, that shouldn't have struck him at such an early age, that has changed every single thing about his life. "This is just my bag of hammers, and I can handle it."

As I type those words, I find myself wishing that I were more like Mr. Fox ... that I could see my disease as just my bag of hammers, just my bag of hammers that I can handle. Oh, some days I feel that way, I suppose, but there are also days when I walk around feeling pretty darn sorry for myself. You know, days when I whine and complain all day long about how much I would like to eat an entire cheesecake or drink a hundred Starbucks cafe vanilla frappucinos with ... well, those of you who've been reading for a while already know about the caramel part. And here's the thing ... if God asked me which bag of hammers I'd rather lug around, mine or Mr. Fox's, I'd choose mine every single time.

Thinking about hammers in bags causes me to think about some hammers from long ago ... hammers that pounded spikes into the hands and feet of my Lord. And you know what? My own sin was those hammers ... my own sin pounded those heavy nails into my precious Lord ... my own sin placed Him on the cross ... my own sin caused Him to sacrifice His life.

Just my bag of hammers, friends ... just my bag of hammers, indeed.