I have been debating if I should write about this topic. I have started a number of times only to delete what I’ve written. But here goes…
My Personal Embarrassment
Nearly three months ago I tore my Achilles heel playing pickleball. One minute I was returning a serve and a volley, the next I thought someone had crashed into me from behind and hit me in the back of the leg. The pain felt like a sharp rubber band had snapped my leg. It was sudden and then I knew I could not walk on it. I finally realized there wasn’t a pickleball bandit behind me who had just assaulted me, but rather I had sustained an injury that would end my professional aspirations for pickleball glory.
The next few months were difficult. I openly admit to my defiant stubbornness. I was not fun to be around and I frequently got frustrated with my inability to walk and function. I was blessed to receive a knee scooter instead of using crutches to go anywhere. To put it bluntly I was temporarily handicapped and I hated. EVERY. MINUTE. OF. IT!
Physical Therapy
The first time I attended physical therapy I realized how much scar tissue I had on my heel and the pain, though good, reminded me of how much work I still needed to do to help me progress and walk normally again. I was taught exercises and stretches that would push me past my pain levels, and I fear I would potentially reinjure myself. Still I worked at it and my physical therapist reminded me that the pain I was enduring was normal and that it would help me get better faster if I just embraced it.
In a matter of two months my calf muscles had atrophied from lack of use and I needed to begin the process of restoring strength that would only be discovered through the pain of recovery. As I practiced my exercises and pushed my perceived limits of flexibility, I discovered that my limits were self-inflicted and not reality. The more I pushed my muscles the more the resistance of my mental blocks crumbled away. Through gritted teeth and a little bit of sweat, I began to make tremendous strides (pun intended).
Spiritual atrophy
As I continued my physical therapy I was reminded that my spiritual journey is a lot like these appointments. I have often faced spiritual deserts where I have willingly refrained from flexing my spiritual muscles. There have been times when I have become lethargic in my spiritual journey and have spent far less time in prayer and more effort spent in time-wasting activities that contained nothing beneficial to my soul.
Sometimes it is easy to fall into habits that edify nothing but our own inertness. I am not discouraging rest, simply pointing out that there is a stark difference between being overly inactive and resting. Rest provides much needed recharge to those who are actively working for a purpose. Inertness leaves muscles untested and leads to diminished abilities both physically and spiritually.
There are times where atrophy of the heart and soul freezes us in place and creates walls around our perceptions of growth and spiritual purpose. Be mindful of the traps. The father of lies would love to keep us in these spaces of inactivity and atrophy. When we are frozen in place we are no longer a threat to darkness and all the trappings of this world.
Embrace the Pain!
Be willing to have your plans disrupted. Be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to disturb your heart through conviction and revelation. In the spiritual stretching process, may we be able to work out the pain of growth as our wounds are exposed. The Lord seeks to heal, restore and stretch us – the only thing preventing us from expanding our faith is…us. Embrace the pain, the growing pains, the exposed hurts, the vulnerable spaces we have yet to surrender. When we embrace them they can no longer keep us bound by human reasoning and earthly limits. Instead we are exposed to an eternal perspective that will drive us into a deeper faith.
Something more to ponder today.
Pastor's Ponderings 
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