STRESS FRACTURE

Recently doctors diagnosed my foot pain as stress fracture.

For those who are not familiar with the term (and I wasn’t) they described it as two small bones in my foot much like two wires that continue to move back and forth until they break because of the stress placed upon them. Each time after this diagnosis I wore an ugly black boot until these bones healed. Each doctor was too kind to mention “old” bones. J

I am walking for exercise again, but today I began with a mile.  Not my usual three miles, but it is a beginning and I will continue with that for a week or two, evaluate my body’s response and move on to more distance.  Perhaps I will soon be back to my normal distance.

As I didn’t recognize my fracture until it began to be painful, we sometimes don’t recognize how our mental and spiritual well-being is stressing until we break. We skip our Bible reading and morning devotion because we have a committee meeting at the church. Our designated Prayer time is lost as it is time to drive the children to Youth group. We want to spend more personal time with God but we have so many things we need to accomplish in each day.
None of this is detrimental for us, but it can be unfavorable to our spiritual life which then affects our physical and mental well-being. When we fall apart and so many of us do, it is then we need to put on the “black boot” to slow down and ease the stress of our lives.

I write this morning as one who has been there. Take time to be holy (defined as set apart).  Stress can be controlled. God tells us “Be still and know”.  I will continue to walk, but perhaps my body is telling me to slow down as God may also be telling me to slow down.

 

Do you have stress fractures?  Physically?  Mentally?  Spiritually?