Waiting

The truth about Christ has been proved in you. So you have every gift from God while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to come again. Jesus will keep you strong until the end. He will keep you strong, so that there will be no wrong in you on the day our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. (1 Corinthians 1:6-8, International Children’s Bible)

It’s been a week since Easter Sunday; seems like so much longer. It’s been a bad week around here.

My back went out three weeks ago. Usually, when that happens, I’m able to do enough things – heat, rest, gentle exercises – that it straightens out on its own. This time it just kept getting worse. No, I wasn’t babying it as much as I should have; I did a few things which in retrospect I see made the pain worse. But I’ve never had pain all the way into my shoulder blades and rib cage, and I’ve been dealing with this quirky back for 37 years. I’ve never let it get me so down; I’ve always kept the faith and waited it out until it got better. That and often times a few trips to the chiropractor.

Yesterday morning, from 3:30 to 6:00, every time I tried to move in bed, my back spasmed so much it was paralyzing. I tried a muscle relaxer and kept laying on the heating pad, but even a simple stretch would tighten those lower back muscles like I was being tasered. And then my rib cage would hurt so bad that I couldn’t get a deep breathe.

Yet, I kept waiting for this to settle down so I could work my way out of bed and gimp to the bathroom. And I kept waiting.

After nearly three hours of this, I finally caved and called 911. The EMTs from our local hospital (adjacent to the clinic where I work – even after I retire, I will continue to play that card when I have a medical crisis) arrived and did their job – got me out of bed and into our car (amid my screams of pain). Hubby drove me to the ER, where they gave me some IV drugs and a couple prescriptions and sent me home.  

All day long, yesterday, my back still ached and was stiff, but it never spasmed again. But I kept waiting for it to. And now, still doing okay, in some pain but no spasms, I’m waiting for it to be completely better, for the appointments I have next week with the chiropractor to be miraculous, and for me to get back to bouncing out of bed, doing my yoga, and being active all day long.

But what does that have to do with Easter? Waiting is hard. The day between Good Friday and Easter morning, I always wonder how those followers of Jesus were doing. Were they waiting, in fear or anticipation, for what would happen next? Had they heeded Jesus’ message that He would rise from the dead on the third day? Or were their hearts broken that they would never see their Teacher again?

We all hate waiting, especially when we aren’t sure what the outcome will be. But there is one outcome we are certain of. Jesus rose from the dead on the first Easter morning, and He will return to this earth someday.