Captivated Me

Real talk. I was walking down a set of stairs at work last night looking at my phone, missed a step, toppled down, and landed terribly wrong on this poor foot. Funny in retrospect! But painful enough that I passed out at the time. Blessedly, no surgery is required. But even bearing weight on this thing right now brings tears.⁣⁣⁣
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What is amazing is how God sent angels in disguise to get me to the help I needed after the injury. Two lovely women who found a wheelchair nearby. Two orthopedic residents at the bottom of the staircase who were at the ready if it turned out there was an overt fracture. An ER team who could not have been any more kind. A radiology tech with the sweetest presence. My mom (who had randomly put a pair of crutches in her car that morning) and dear friend Mimi who were only minutes away in Minneapolis when I let them know about the injury and who got me settled in at home at the end of the night.⁣⁣⁣ Blessings, each one.
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How often do we get distracted in the midst of life’s craziness, only to misstep and find ourselves in a position that we didn’t anticipate? How often do abrupt hurts come into our life, causing a pain that makes us want a period of amnesia to forget the inciting event(s)? I’d argue, these things happen more frequently than we’d like to admit. But we are so good at pushing through and covering our messes and hurts with work, busy-ness, and frivolous things. ⁣⁣⁣
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How often does God show up in those moments? I’d argue, always. He sets the right people and parts in motion to take care of us. He sends the support we need by moving the hearts of those who love us into action. He makes the equipment we need available. He helps us recover from the amnesia and numbness that we use to cope, and challenges us to confront the pain so we can begin healing. He uses injuries to slow our pace and refocus our hearts on simple truth.⁣⁣
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Everything is taking three times longer than usual today. Home has become an obstacle course that I need to crutch and crawl through, even going down the stairs like a toddler who bumps down one by one on her behind. It feels so silly, so dependent, and still painful. But I also feel stronger by going through it, by finding healthy and safe ways to cope with the pain.

It is hard and unhealthy to ignore our hurt; we must confront it. It may take more devoted time spent with the Lord; it can be exhausting; and it can be very uncomfortable. But it will all be for our benefit in the end.

Let’s give our hurts, big and small, over to God. And let’s watch in awe as He sets everything in motion, heals deep hurts, and works things out for our good.

Also, life lesson, stay off your phone when walking down stairs!