I’ve had lower back pain off and on for years, but recently it had gotten worse. Working at the computer for a few hours meant back pain. Picking up the girls’ bedroom meant back pain. Standing while doing the dishes meant back pain. I normally would continue to ignore it, pretending it was just a normal part of life, but something prompted me to mention it at a wellness visit. This started a physical therapy journey. Not something I was very enthusiastic about. There was no quick fix, no massage or pill to make it better. Instead, it was exercises and changing the way I did everyday activities.

As I made small changes to how I sat, how I picked things up, how I stood, I experienced immediate healing. What I had not realized was that I had been taking short-cuts. Instead of taking the time to get down on a knee to grab something off the floor or using my leg muscles to squat while putting the dishes in the dishwasher, I had been cheating by bending my back in a way it wasn’t meant to. I had subconsciously been taking what I thought was the easy way out and instead was doing harm to my back. It took doing it the right way for me to realize what I had been doing wrong.

In life and in our spirituality, we take short-cuts. Trying to find the easiest way to get something done with the least amount of effort seems to be part of human nature. Perhaps we say a quick prayer or skim a short devotional reading  to check off our “spiritual activity of the day” box. We fool ourselves into thinking we’re getting quality time with the Lord, but until we slow down and truly spend time praying or reading His Word, we don’t even realize the goodness we are cutting ourselves short of. We are ignorant to the ways in which we are harming ourselves by thinking we’re getting the job done when, in reality, we are running on empty. 

We were designed to live life to the fullest, to engage with God in the fast and the slow, to need rest and pauses. Taking short-cuts might make us feel more productive and might even look good on the outside, but if we’re not careful, we can go for years in pain not even realizing it’s of our own doing.

Today, the doctor is ready to see you. He’s ready to show you the places where small adjustments need to be made. The slight changes can bring big results in peace and healing. Until this new way becomes second nature, it will require regular exercises and intentionality. It will take time and practice. But eventually the right way will become the natural way and we will think ourselves foolish for having put up with our self-inflicted pain for so long. It’s time to see the doctor.

Engage

• Where in your everyday life are you experiencing pain? Physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally?
• Take this pain to the healer. He has the healing you need.

Ask the Lord

• “Are there short-cuts I have been taking?”
• “What adjustments do I need to make to experience more of your healing in my life?”
• “What can I learn from this pain?”

Supporting Scripture

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.” – Proverbs 3:5-8