Lent Day 7

Wow.  After today we'll have been on the Daniel Fast for one week.  It's gone by fast!

I'm encouraged.  I have been going to physical therapy for over two weeks now - three times a week, plus exercises at home two more days a week.  My pain is definitely down.  Definitely.  I haven't taken pain medication since last week!  This, my friends, is a miracle.

I have to be careful.  I know that.  I plan to be.  Don't want to do anything to jeopardize the progress I'm making.  

It is difficult, though.  I feel better and I want to respond to this by doing MORE.  I want to go walking and biking.  I want to garden.

But I can't.  Not ready yet.

Being limited is frustrating.  I've never been one to readily recognize my limitations.  I kind of just push through whatever to get done what I want to get done.

This works some of the time.  It certainly keeps my house clean.

But I find that pushing through pain is usually a bad idea.  I can't just put my head down and barrel through without paying a high price.

I have to be thoughtful.  Careful.  Smart.  I have to surrender what I think is important and listen to the truth about what is really important.

This is true for other kinds of pain in my life.  It doesn't work for me to just barrel through.  I've tried.

The result?  Depression.  More pain.

I want to respond to pain in my life with thoughtfulness, care, wisdom and most importantly, prayer.

When I turn to the Father and I'm willing to listen, He's quick to tell me what is really important - and it's rarely the same thing I was thinking.

Surrender.  It reduces my pain.