Divine Interruption

As I was walking out of church yesterday, a friend asked, “What are you and Justin doing this afternoon?” I told her we didn’t have much going on, so we’d probably just relax. A trip to urgent care definitely wasn’t part of our plan.

Shortly after I got home from church, I went into our shed to get birdseed for the little feathered friends who frequently visit our backyard. After filling up their feeder, I went back into the shed to put away the bag of seed. As I walked out and started to shut the door, I felt an intense blow to my right heel, so sharp that I doubled over in pain. My first thought was I’m going to have a massive, ugly black bruise (I bruise easily). I didn’t know what hit me, but I assumed it was one of the garden tools propped up in the corner against a shelf.

Turns out, it was an ax that fell from the wall. As I hobbled into the house, crying, my husband ran toward me to find out what had happened. When he looked at my sliced ankle and saw blood, along with the white of my Achilles tendon, he said, “Sit down! We’re going to the emergency room!”

I suggested driving to urgent care instead because 1) it was closer, and 2) it would probably be much quicker than a five-hour wait in the ER. I’m glad we made that choice because a doctor came to examine me within five minutes of our arrival. Thankfully, the laceration in my ankle wasn’t deep enough to cut the tendon, so surgery wasn’t needed, only six staples and five sutures.

I’m sad that I won’t be able to walk my dog, ride my bike, or go rock climbing for about two weeks. But I’m trusting God to help me. I’m leaning on his strength. Just this morning, I prayed, “Lord, I surrender to you.” I want God to have his way in me (just like our January 2020 Daniel Fast theme). Rather than wallow in self-pity, I’m determined to embrace this down time.

Did God cause my injury? No. Did he allow it? Yes, I believe he did. Sometimes our loving Father permits pain–not as punishment, but to redirect us or to force us to rest. In my case, it’s most likely both.

Maybe you’ve never been attacked by an ax, but I’m positive you’ve blindsided by an unexpected event. You know what it feels like when your plans are interrupted or when the circumstances of your life don’t turn out quite as you’d hoped.

Today, if you’re facing a painful trial–whether physical, relational, financial, or spiritual–I want to encourage you to draw near to God. He’ll give you strength. He’ll provide everything you need. He’ll fill your heart with hope so you don’t fall into despair.

I told my neighbor earlier today, “I’m so glad this pain is temporary.” And it’s true:

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17-18).

When hard times come, the only way to experience joy and peace is to look to God and remember his promises. If we focus on him instead of our pain, then we’ll have victory in the unexpected events that come our way.