I had a sudden change of plans on Friday. I blew out my knee and am now dependent on the people around me for pretty much everything. A mile long “To Do” list? Out the window. Weekend plans? Seriously compromised. Pride? Given a serious kick. The ability to hug my daughter and fill my hug deficit while she is home for 3 days? Harder than I imagined balancing on crutches.
There is not much I can do for myself when I am on crutches and cannot put any weight on my left knee. Preparing or serving food is out. As it carrying the computer from the dining room table to the couch that has become my new home. Getting up or down the many stairs outside my house and inside my home also requires assistance. Need a phone or a bottle of water, my readers or a book to read? Someone has to be available to bring it to me.
I know a bum knee is really not a big deal. It is painful and inconvenient but doesn’t really matter in the whole scheme of things. When something unexpected happens I look to see how God is at work. Deuteronomy 31:8 says in part, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” I believe that God is on the path ahead of me and that nothing that happens in my life is a surprise to him.
I blew my knee at 12:30 on Friday while shopping at the outlet mall with our oldest daughter. We had finished our shopping and were heading back to the car when I felt something snap in my knee and went down. We were right next to a pillar that I was able to grab and not land face first on the cement. My daughter got security, got a wheelchair and was able to drive me home. I already had a doctor’s appointment scheduled at 2:00 that day with an orthopedic doctor to look at my knee which had been bothering me for a couple of weeks. My husband who travels a great deal for work was actually home and able to drive me to my appointment, get a wheelchair and wheel me in. All of this was provided by a God who was clearly at work in my circumstances. This situation would have been a great deal more difficult if I had been alone or my husband was out of town or I did not already have a doctor’s appointment.
Becoming suddenly dependent is humbling. Realizing how incredibly out of shape I am is even more humbling. Crutches take a LOT of muscle and upper body strength to use. Neither of which I have. Being short and carrying extra weight seems to make crutches and especially stairs even more challenging. Words like ashamed and embarrassed come to mind as I sit here tonight with every muscle in my body aching. How could I let myself get this out of shape? I am looking at my knee as a wake-up call to my crazy, hectic, over-scheduled, physically unfit life.
Where do you see God at work in your circumstances? If you can’t see him ask God to reveal himself to you. What can you learn and how can you use these lessons to move forward in a better way? Again, ask God to show you what he wants you to learn. Be prepared to share what God teaches you with people who may find themselves in a similar place down the road. Experiences with infertility, unemployment, illness, adultery, bullying, abuse, addiction and so on can all be used to help someone else when God has brought you through a difficult situation. Who do you turn to for prayer and support when you have a sudden change of plans? God intended us to build relationships and have a group of people who can pray for us and support us in a variety of ways when needed.
Precious Father – Please help us to see you at work in our lives. Show us what you want us to learn from our circumstances. May we take the time Lord to build relationships that can surround us with prayer and support during challenging times. Thank you for going before us. And thank you for never leaving us or forsaking us. Amen.