I know many of you have suspected this about me for quite some time. Certainly my husband has. But now it’s confirmed in black-and-white.
I have a screw loose.
In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you that this is not an x-ray of my loose screw. There wasn’t time to get a copy of my x-ray for this blog, so I did what any resourceful writer does…googled “loose screw” and voilà!
My loose screw is in my left wrist, which I broke a year ago requiring surgery and the implantation of a stainless steel T-shaped plate and four screws for the distal radius break. And my screw is not as loose as this floating one–it’s just wriggled up a little too high, causing a lot of pain.
Actually by the time you’re reading this, I probably won’t have a loose screw anymore. Surgery to remove all the hardware is scheduled for the morning of Oct. 30. Therapy with a certified hand therapist begins a few days later and continues twice weekly for six weeks. Did I mention that I ALREADY did twice-weekly therapy for more than five months and daily wrist exercises for 11 months?!
If I’m being honest, I must tell you that I wish I could turn back the clock to Oct. 23, 2018, and not miss a step on our deck. And not fall forward onto the concrete. And not have a nerve injury which without medication causes terrible, burning pain. And certainly not have a screw loose.
How about you? Do you wish you could turn back the clock?
To the time before you heard the diagnosis. To the day before the accident. To the happier years of your marriage. To the moment when your loved one was still by your side. To the…fill in the blank.
The psalmist, too, longed for the good ol’ days.
“My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshippers leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration!” Psalm 42:4
I’m sure you recall things you or your loved one used to do which aren’t possible anymore–or at least not done as easily. It’s difficult not to be disheartened when life seems to knock us down…or loosen our screws.
But if we keep reading in Psalm 42, we see how the unknown author (perhaps King David) responds to his personal weariness.
“Why am I discouraged ?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise Him again–
my Savior and my God!”
Author Chris Tiegreen says in his devotional Worship the King: “How you handle your pain says a lot about what you think of God. It indicates whether you trust Him or not, even in your deepest despair. It says that you may not understand your circumstances, but you know who governs them.”
“When life hurts, give it to God,” Tiegreen adds. “Trust Him with it. When you’re crushed, your faith honors Him in ways that your faith at other times cannot.”
This weekend we literally turn our clocks back one hour as Daylight Savings Time ends (unless, of course, you’re really smart and live in Arizona or Hawaii). It’s a good time to remind ourselves to quit looking back on what was or what might have been. Instead, let’s look forward to our hope in a God who “encourages the discouraged.” (2 Corinthians 7:6)
P.S. Typing is pretty painful so if you don’t see a blog in two weeks, you’ll know why!
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