Today was a rough day & I was not expecting to be able to post anything tonight, but then as I got on the train home, God really reminded me of something important to share with you all. So here it goes:
I got on a train in the city & after only a couple of stations, a beautiful woman walked into the train. I remember, I only noticed her because her face reminded me of a colleague and friend of mine. She looked elegant & graceful. As she pulled her leg into the train, there was a thud, & before I knew it, she was on the floor, cursing and screaming.
As the woman's pain eased, she started to explain what happened. She'd sprained her ankle & torn her ligament the month before. It had healed mostly but her doctor told her to be careful until it was 100% better. It still hurt her so she had been limping around for the month, & now that she'd sprained it again, she thought she'd probably torn it again. As my gaze turned to her feet, I finally noticed them - her high-heeled boots!
It really got me thinking, "What would possess someone with a torn ligament to walk around in heels? Surely that would be an acceptable excuse to wear thongs."
As I was dwelling on these thoughts, I felt the gentle nudge of God's Spirit remind me of this: Wasn't it, not too long ago, that you'd still wear heels, some days at work, parties and even walk around the city with them? Does it not seem reasonable for a person who's struggling to stand up to wear flats and not heels?
Now, I'm not advocating that we all chain ourselves to our beds because we are too ill to do anything. But the question we must ask ourselves is 'Why push so hard in the first place? What are we really working towards?' For you, it may not be your heels; It may not be the clothes you wear or your ability to help other people. Maybe it's choosing to push yourself to the point where your life looks no different to a healthy person, except that you can't sleep because of the pain you worked all day to ignore. Let me ask it again, 'What are you working towards? Is what your pursuing worth the agony that you put your body through to get there?'
Friends, both my fellow chronic sufferers as well as those that journey with us, let's work a little harder at taking care of ourselves. By pushing ourselves hard, we may reach our aimed prize, but what good is it to reach there only to drop dead and not be able to reap the benefit. Let's pace ourselves and let's keep our eyes fixed on what's really important & what will never fade away or cease; Let's keep our eyes focused on God.
I guess it's true what they say: pride definitely goes before a fall.
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