Spiritual Stretching
Have you ever
heard of Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS)? Well neither had I until this week.
It seems that is why I am having so much pain in my leg.
There is a
band of fibrous tissues that runs down the leg, like the seam in trousers. When
that gets tight, it can affect all the muscles from the hip to the ankle.
Here’s the
odd part. The most common cause is running. I can’t remember the last time I ran
for anything! After a little research, I found out that the reason runners get
ITBS is from always running on the same side of the road. You see, most roads
are crowned; that is, they slope from the middle to each side so water can run
off. By always running on the same side of the road eventually one leg gets
longer than the other.
Wearing the
boot from my foot surgery for so long has created the same situation as running
along the same side of the road.
That got me
to thinking . . .
Sometimes out
habits cause us to fall into a rut. We do things the same way for so long that
we eventually “tighten up” and are resistant to change. Even if that change
would be good for us and not good for us if we didn’t change.
Let’s suppose
that a Christian takes on a worldly habit. Nothing we could consider major,
just a habit that leads away from Christ. The longer the Christian practices
that habit, the more that habit becomes a part of the Christian until it causes
some real spiritual damage.
The only way
to treat ITBS is by stretching. Over time (I hope) the stretching will
untighten the IT band and the pain will cease.
And so it is
with trying to shake a bad habit. We have to “stretch” our spiritual selves.
There are some great ways to do that. My advice is to ask God to help you with
it. Look at it like it is “spiritual” therapy and God is your therapist.
A new year
lies before us. It’s a great time to do some “stretching.” If I can help you
with it in any way, don’t hesitate to contact me.
May God bless
you mightily!
Comments
Post a Comment