HSBC Coffeebreak

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
Matthew 5:3-5 NIV

It had been a demanding week and the longing for a reprieve over the weekend seemed to be in vain. It was Sunday evening and we still had a few church responsibilities to take care of before we could focus on preparing for the work week. Trying to make the trip into the church our “reprieve,” we decided to ride our motorcycle to town.

The half hour drive was pleasant and it was relaxing to sit behind my husband on the bike knowing this was something he enjoys. Just a few blocks from our destination, while stopped at an intersection, we were hit from behind by a pickup. The minutes that followed the accident were emotionally charged with a mixture of fear, pain, and a sense of powerlessness and confusion, along with thanksgiving and praise that we and the bike weren't hurt worse than we had been.

I was taken to the hospital by ambulance to check for neck injuries and felt blessed to know that there were no broken bones or fractures. I was told that I was just fine and was free to go. As I walked towards the motorcycle (yes, it was still drivable), I was flooded with mixed emotions again. Fear and the need to conquer fear waged war inside of me, and I understood the old saying about getting right back on the horse that just bucked you off. I chose to fight the fear and decided that I would get back on to go home. The pain from the whiplash made it difficult to put my helmet on, but we managed.

As time passed, the pain from the whiplash subsided and the emotions of that moment lost most of their grip on my heart. Several months later I noticed that I still had a great deal of pain in my neck and that I had started doing full body turns rather than turning my neck. I went to my doctor and learned that even though there were no broken bones, I had a severe sprain and the tissues and ligaments in my neck had been torn and they would take at least a year to heal. In the meantime, I needed to have physical therapy and learn ways to stretch and exercise my neck so that it would heal properly.

As I underwent therapy, I kept thinking that so much of life is like this. So often I think that choosing to press on is the choice that will please God. After all, aren’t we are told in Philippians 3:13-14 “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” While pressing on is good, I learned that I needed to give adequate time and attention to my body before I pressed on or I would be hindered with an unnecessary “limp” for the rest of my life. As that truth sunk in, I began to see other areas in my life where I had chosen to press on before I had properly healed and that I had been running the race of life with some very unnecessary limps.

Stopping my world to deal with unhealed wounds of the heart has been difficult and humiliating, but just like going to the physical therapist and having to stretch my neck in spite of the pain, healing comes and life is better.

Lord, I thank you for being my Great Physician and for being able to heal every wound of mine. Amen

Written by
Liz Anderson