On January 30th I slipped on a pool of water in my kitchen. Although no bones were broken, I was sidelined for more than a month with soft tissue injury in my back. I’m still not 100% healed. God did not cause me to fall, but has certainly used the accident to teach me a great deal.
- Good health is vital. Without it my life is severely limited. I must care for my body with plenty of rest, good food and exercise.
- I read Brian McLaren’s latest book in which he gives a sound theological basis for my belief that learning about other faiths can strengthen my Christianity.
- I had hours to spend working on my next book and learned that I can make it a priority in my life.
I don’t like being limited. Impatience and frustration often overwhelm me Yet, as I lay confined to my zero gravity lawn chair, I didn’t waste my time. God enabled me to use it creatively. It seems to me that’s the way God would like us to look at all the difficult, even tragic disruptions in our lives.
Some say these difficult things are God’s punishments for our wrongdoing. I don’t believe that God causes them at all. I do believe that when these things happen, God is right there with us, holding us, and helping us, bringing healing and offering us learning. Our job is to accept God’s healing and support. God offers us creative learning from the experience so that we can do more than just survive. We can begin to live a new life. I’m sure that with God’s help I’ll have a long list of learnings before my body is totally healed and I’m out dancing comfortably again. I can trust in God and I am grateful.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not un your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3: 5-6 NIV)