My Grace is Sufficient For You….
The picture above is a close representation of what my shoulder looked like after falling down a flight of stairs and landing shoulder first. That was in August 2011. I also had a torn labrum which required pins to reattach it to hold my shoulder in place. Because of the extensive damage (including the socket) the surgeon told me I’d never do push-ups again.
You see I had been using Japanese or Hindu push-ups to stay in decent shape as part of my workout routine. When the doctor told me that I was upset because I saw how it could set me back with my physical goals. He asked me why I needed to do push-ups? I said to stay in decent shape and keep the man boobs at bay. He said “well you better get used to a treadmill because upper body workouts are over for you.”
Of course that didn’t sit well with me because I’m stubborn by nature (as we all can be) and when someone tells me I can’t I like to prove them wrong. This past week his words about the push ups came back to me as I was doing Hindu push-ups again (about my 6th week into them) and last week my shoulder starting acting up and hurting badly. I heard a grinding sound I hadn’t heard before and the pain was intense.
I had forgotten about the crushed socket and broken ball until my wife reminded me a few days ago. THIS was why the doctor had told me that about the push ups, not the pins I was worried about tearing out. Now the grinding noise made sense and it also reminded me that my foolish pride had gotten me in trouble again. I could have stuck with my planks and been happy but no I had to push it to the max as always. I’ve prayed about this many times over the years asking Jesus to heal me. Today I received my answer.
Paul had some type of physical ailment and prayed for Jesus to remove it from him. In 2 Corinthians 12, starting in verse 7 he speaks about this being “a thorn in his flesh” to buffet Paul and keep him from becoming proud. In verse 8 Paul prays for Jesus to remove it from him and in verse 9 Paul gets his answer. “My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness”. It appears that this is also my answer and a reminder that I will have to always rely on Jesus for my strength and power.
Now I will have to deal with the consequences of my pride yet again. It wasn’t necessary for me to go back to what I was but rather I should have accepted who I am now. Weight loss is controlled better through diet discipline than extreme exercises but I wanted to be ripped a little again when in the end that won’t matter a lick.
1 Timothy 4:8 puts it this way “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” There is my lesson today and one that I’m sure will resonate with some of you reading this now. We need to lean on our spiritual strength in Jesus Christ, not worry about how in shape we are or how good we look. Those things are of the world and we should avoid being prideful or vain at all times.
So now it’s time for some new X-rays so I can find out what I did and what it will take to repair it. I wouldn’t be going through this if not for being foolish thinking I new better than my surgeon. I knew about these scriptures in God’s word but I chose to ignore them and go forward anyway. Now I will pay a price and it won’t be much fun. Always listen when God shows you something and in the end your surgeon probably knows a bit more than you do! God bless and take care!
Johnny Storm
OMG that looks painful! How did you fall down the stairs? Xx
I stayed over at a friends house and he was remodeling. His basement door was removed and it was right next to the bathroom and in the dark at 3am I chose the wrong door.
Oof. Poor you!