I was frustrated when I started having pain in my hip that radiated down my leg, this following a summer of physical therapy to help with neck and shoulder pain. I consoled myself, thinking, “This won’t last forever. It’ll go away eventually.” For the last year and a half, I have accommodated the pain, thrilling when it was absent, making adjustments to the way I sleep, sit, and exercise when it returned, based on, dare I admit it, my own wisdom and internet information. My theory was that, as it has with previous stubborn physical pain, it would take stretching and strengthening to bring healing. Adding prayer, I tried and tried to deal with my condition, ignoring my husband’s gentle suggestions that I see my doctor, telling him and myself that if it doesn’t get better by such and such a time, I will.
That time finally came. I’ve mentioned pain that keeps me from sleeping in previous posts. Recently, that pain showed up three nights in a row, fiercely. So, while my husband was out of town, I made a doctor’s appointment, resigning myself to the probability of X-rays and physical therapy. The doctor’s visit and X-ray results went as expected, thankfully yielding no major concerns. Now for the physical therapy. And a surprise.
If my therapist’s initial assessment is correct, my hip is doing fine, but my back has been dealing with some kind of injury, compensating by causing a muscle imbalance and referring pain down into my low back, hip, knee, and leg. He thinks that this can be remedied (Hooray!) if I follow his instructions, instructions that include stopping everything I’ve been doing and spending two weeks doing only two things. Great! I’m ready!
As he treated me, demonstrating what I am to do, explaining that when we get at the cause of the pain, it will vanish, I began asking him about my regular activities, activities that I enjoy, including walking with my husband and playing flute trio music. “Give me two weeks.” he said. As we continued through the appointment, it became clear to me that much of my daily routine must be forfeited for at least two weeks. And that I must ask others to pick up a few extra tasks at home.
(Insert 15 minute break here while I go lie on the floor with my chest on a stack of pillows.)
It’s interesting to me that our bodies refer pain away from the problem area. Kinda sneaky. I figured out that the pain in my leg was coming down a nerve from the spine, but I was still focusing on my hip and the lowest area of my back, when it appears that the issue was up a little higher along my spine.
I’m working on my curves.
Treating symptoms alone will not fix my problem.
Looking beyond our physical health, I think it’s fair to say that we often have painful issues in our lives that stem from an ignored or hidden problem. This morning, I had the privilege of visiting the staff of our church’s Vacation Bible School to coach them about “Staying in the Game.” I based my little lesson on information from Dr. Emerson Eggerichs’ new book, The 4 WILLS of GOD, The Way He Directs Our Steps and Frees Us to Direct Our Own. Last evening, I found myself dealing with some frustration over the prescriptive advice of my physical therapist, and could not deny that I was being challenged to live out what I was about to “preach.”
Eggerichs points out that there are four Bible verses that expressly describe the will of God for his children. We are to Believe in Jesus, Abstain from Sexual Immorality, Give Thanks in all Circumstances, and Submit to Authority in Doing Good. (I never imagined that I’d talk to groups of mixed company about sexual purity!) The point was made that when we ignore the will of God as revealed in the Bible, choosing our own desires and ways, there will be discipline, consequences, and an experience of being “benched” from participating in and enjoying God’s unique plan for our lives.
Could it be that difficulties in our lives are the symptoms of deeper issues? Eggerichs gives examples of men and women who have “cleaned up their acts” and found great blessing and momentum in their spiritual “game.”
Of the 4 Wills, I admit to struggling to give thanks in ALL circumstances! Last evening I was able to suppress the will of God to give thanks in my pain and the prescription for it and to indulge in quite a bit of grumbling until I finally just went to bed.
A new day dawns when we get to the root of our problems, admit our own mistakes, and begin to live in the will of God.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9