In pain

Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer. Psalm 4:1-3 New International Version

My back went out yesterday morning. This usually happens every spring, so it was not unexpected.

Sometimes it is the spring chores – too much lifting and raking and general yard work. One year it was hoisting a hundred pound carpet into the back of my cousin’s Jeep. Most often however, it is nothing dramatic, it is simply bending down to tie my shoe. Or like this time, when honestly, I wasn’t doing anything that should traumatize my vertebrae. I was washing dishes and next thing I knew my back was cinched up like a bronco’s saddle.

I used to run to the chiropractor and after several “crackings”, my back was fine. But I have found that over the years, the stupid thing goes back into place on its own in about the same amount of time. On average I can expect to be in pain for three or four days, while walking around with my right hip a few inches out of alignment.

It’s been the few occasions where this back pain has dragged on for over a week that I lose my sense of humor. What if the pain doesn’t go away? What if I can never straighten up again? What if I end up addicted to pain pills that make me goofy (goofier)?

When my brain takes off like that, I take a deep breath, say a prayer and turn it over to God. Just like everything else in this world, it is going to turn out the way it is supposed to.

Dear Lord, thank you for the beautiful weekend which you have given to me. You know what is best for me, and if that meant this was the weekend I was going to be laid up with a bad back so that I was forced to neglect the housework and get some reading and TV watching done, thank you for that opportunity. And whatever the coming days bring, I will accept it as Your will. Amen

This would be how my back feels. This picture was taken last Sunday at the ruins of Plummer Mine in northern Wisconsin. See? God let my back be good last weekend.