It was just a simple stone. Nothing attractive about it. In fact, it wasn't
even big. It barely measured 12" by 6". It was slanted on a fort-five degree
angle, and it didn't even have an interesting colour or pattern. Who would have
thought it would inflict so much pain on an innocent hiker?
We were climbing up one of the beautiful mountains at Pisgah Natural Forest in
North Carolina when it happened. We were taking our time to enjoy the beauties
of nature that confronted us at every turn of the trail, and we had about half a
mile of trail to still cover before reaching the top. I had just stopped to
admire a bright patch of gold off the distance. It turned out to be the sun
glinting off of a field of golden grain. Absolutely breathtaking! What I wasn't
paying attention to was my next step. As I shifted my weight to my right leg, my
foot slid off of the rock it had been resting on, twisting my ankle about 90
degrees counter clockwise. The next minute I was sitting on the trail with pain
shooting up my leg.
I guess that's what happens when you don't pay attention.
I gingerly assessed the damage, only to discover that I couldn't put any weight
on my foot-just a little problem when you are over a mile from the car! My first
thought was, "Oh no! My kids will be so disappointed! They really want to reach
the top and I won't be able to go on!" I tested some weight on my foot again,
but it was no use. The pain was too extreme.
What didn't help maters was that this was the foot I had burned so badly in the
Bahamas, the one that had ended up with an ultra-big golf ball-sized blister! I
had known then that the burn had been deep enough to injure my ankle muscles.
Likely my ankle was still weak from this incident, and this had put me at higher
risk of injury.
It's amazing how such a tiny detail can come back to haunt you!
I took my head in my hands and started praying, and as I did, strength filled my
soul. With the help of my family I was able to stand up once again, and before I
knew it, I could walk without pain. I was able to climb the rest of the
mountain, unaided, AND I made it all the way back to the car, a total distance
of over two miles on a sprained ankle. All I could say was, "Praise be to God!"
As it often happens, however, my family simply declared that I must not have
sprained my ankle after all. They figured I just twisted it enough to have acute
pain, but that I hadn't really injured it. After all, how could I have walked
two miles on a sprained ankle? Once back in the car however, as we were driving
back to town, sharp pain once again shot over my foot and up my leg, and when we
stopped at a K-Mart to buy an ankle brace, I couldn't walk. I limped back into
the hotel and dropped flat on my back in agony. By this time my ankle was
swollen to twice its normal size. How was I ever going to be able to visit all
the things on our agenda over the next few days???
I had made a big mistake for not watching out for hidden dangers. I made a poor
choice that ended up getting me into trouble. However we have a merciful God who
intervenes in our bad choices, and He is able to turn our errors into blessings.
I mean, how could I have ever been able to walk on my injured foot for more than
two miles without God's help? By divine intervention we were able to reach the
top!
In life we often make poor choices, choices that hurt not only ourselves, but
others as well. We have every reason to feel deflated and depressed, blaming
ourselves for our mistakes. However we also need to remember that God is a
specialist in turning disaster into blessing. If we remain on our high horses of
complaints, if we wallow in our own self-pity, if we let our pain dictate
reality, we will never notice the opportunities God has provided us with.
"Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back
in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let
distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of
regrets." (2 Cor 7:10 The Message)
Only One can sustain us in our pain, the One who suffered extreme suffering
without ever giving up, all because He loves us!
"It's obvious, of course, that he didn't go to all this trouble for angels. It
was for people like us, children of Abraham. That's why he had to enter into
every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get
rid of the people's sins, he would have already experienced it all himself - all
the pain, all the testing - and would be able to help where help was needed."
(Heb 2:16-18 The Message)
Instead of cursing our mistakes, let us rejoice that we have a merciful God who
can turn curses into blessings!
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matt 5:4 NIV)
How did I manage the next few days of mountain exploring with a sprained ankle,
you ask? Stay tuned for the next devotional: (The Day After).
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.