Adjustment – Adaptation – Perseverance – Recovery

Recovery from a total hip replacement is no picnic. It requires work, focus, determination, obedience, and . . . pain. On April 16, I took a devastating fall and shattered my right hip. A total hip replacement happened the next day. It was the only remedy. I wrote about that life-changing event here

The journey toward full recovery is long and included setbacks. Thanks to a great surgeon and Cody, my physical therapist, my recovery has progressed rapidly.

A few weeks ago, I asked Cody if I could swim as a part of my recovery regimen. He replied, “For you, yes.”

With some trepidation, I went to our community pool to swim laps. Hesitantly, I dove in and experienced no pain or ill effects from the dive or strokes to cross the pool.

Swimming laps required adjustments, however. I asked Cody how I would know if I was overdoing my recovery activity. He plainly replied, “Your hip will tell you.”

Learning to listen to my body is crucial. The body remembers. The body keeps the score.

Our pool is about 25 feet across the deep end. After diving and swimming across, I grabbed the side, gathered my feet under me, and pushed off. My hip didn’t speak – it shouted, “This hurts!”

I knew immediately that I’d done something wrong. Something about the way I positioned my feet or had pushed off was not what the hip needed.

So, did I quit? Leave the pool? No, I knew the hip rarely exhibited pain. So I adjusted and adapted.

I first looked at what went right. Nothing about swimming hurt – freestyle swimming was a good idea. The push-off from the side caused the pain.

So I adapted the positioning of my legs and feet. I pushed off more strongly with my left leg and coasted an extra foot or so before kicking. The pain virtually disappeared. A minor adjustment solved the problem.

After swimming several laps and various adaptations: The fear was gone. The pain was gone. My confidence was restored. My recovery was enhanced. A new kind of exercise further strengthened my hip.

This is not breaking news, but life is messy. When was the last time you had a completely perfect day – no adjustments needed? Rarely, if ever, is that the case.

Some people confess to being control freaks who like to micromanage everything so that everything is under control and ends up extra tidy. Good luck with that!

The reality is that we control very little

In 12-Step Recovery, the First Step says, “We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol (drugs, food, co-dependency, sex, etc.) and that our lives had become unmanageable.” Now, be honest: how much can you really control?

The answer is, not very much. Can you control the traffic lights, the timing of a dirty diaper (or how many), the toddler’s screaming because of an earache, the disturbing email or social media post, the news, or the unexpected phone call that your child threw up at school? Can you control other people, your boss, your employees, or your own racing, worrying mind?

There’s a reason Jesus said, “³¹ So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ^{. . . 34} Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6, CSB

Walking with God in Belovedness each day will require adjustments, adaptations, humility, trust, and submission.

I’ve decided to walk hand-in-hand with Jesus, the one who calls me Beloved, and face each new day as its own adventure of plumbing the depths of His Love. So where do I need to adjust?

Mentally and Emotionally

My thinking and my emotions are vitally connected. If I’m plagued by stinkin’ thinkin’, won’t my emotions be tied in knots as well?

If I have great fear over the future or economic insecurity, both my mind and emotions are affected.

I’ve learned that everything is connected! Mind, emotions, body, and spirit are all vitally connected. That’s why I must constantly be vitally connected to Jesus. Everything depends on personal, intimate connection with Jesus.

Jesus said, “⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains (vitally connected) in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.” John 15:5, emphasis mine.

My mind has been corrupted by sin and the world. It’s broken and needs reprogramming. Paul said, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2.

My emotions can be all over the map, but when I focus on Jesus and worshipping Him, He calms my fears and anxieties. Paul calls this “presenting our total person to God as a living sacrifice, which is true worship.” Romans 12:1, paraphrased.1

A powerful tool that Kristi and I have recently added is The Worship Initiative by Shane and Shane. I can’t begin to tell you what starting our day with this worship experience has done for us. It involves your whole person through prayer, the Word, singing, and encouragement.

You don’t just listen; you sing with them. You might say, “But I can’t sing.” Or, “I don’t have a good voice.”

Your Voice is “God-given”

That’s right, God gave me this voice, and He desires that I make a joyful noise unto Him with it. Colossians 3:15 declares that the Word of God dwells even more richly within us through singing. “¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

Find it here: Daily Devo This spiritual practice may change your life!

Tara Owens, our dear friend and shepherd on this trip, says, “Pilgrimage is about devotion, transformation. community, journey, discomfort, welcoming the unexpected, not being in control, and doing it all with God and sacred community.”

Pilgrimage requires me to adjust mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually! Am I ready? Well, I’ve been training in all those areas for months. We will hike 20 to 30 miles in Ireland!

An essential prerequisite for this kind of intense journey is the laying aside of expectations. I’m not in control, and each day will present challenges that I don’t expect.

I recently discovered this beautiful prayer that beckons me to pilgrimage with open palms so that God can do a new and deeper work in me.

Set Aside Prayer: God, today help me set aside everything I think I know about You, everything I think I know about myself, everything I think I know about others, and everything I think I know about my own recovery (pilgrimage, journey, etc.) so I may have an open mind and a new experience with all these things. Please help me see the truth. Amen!2

Note: this is not a rejection of God or others. It’s just acknowledging that openness and receptivity are essential to growth. In my heart of hearts, I want to know and experience God more deeply. I’m on a pilgrimage . . . a pilgrimage with the One who calls me Beloved.

How about you? Are you open to a fresh work of God in your life? Has anything in your spiritual life gotten stale? What about your thinking and emotions? Are they a jumbled mess?

Be open today. Pay attention to the Father today. Notice and wonder today. I believe God will manifest Himself to you today. (See: John 14:21, 233)