I went for a massage one week before Christmas. What I thought would be an hour of relaxation turned into an hour of experiencing the sharpest fingers I had ever felt. OK, his fingers weren't literally sharp, but if you've ever gone for a deep tissue massage, you know how "sharp" those fingers can be.
The masseur said he felt some tense muscles in my hip and said he could get rid of those knots if I allowed him to "get in there" and work them out. I agreed and spent the next 45 minutes using the same breathing techniques I was taught to use when I was in labor with my children.
The next day, I was sore, walking with a bit of a limp. But as the week progressed, my ability to walk declined daily, until I was confined to my bed, unable to move. My darling husband, Todd, called our medical professionals and got some medication to help reduce inflammation and relax my muscles.
I'm always nervous when I am prescribed medication, especially when it has the potential to create dependency. But at this point, I couldn't move. I was thankful for the compassionate pharmacist who walked me through the potential side effects and encouraged me that "this too shall pass."
A week later, my family doctor recommended that I start weaning myself off one of the medications. She told me to do so slowly and reaffirmed that as I did, the swelling in my hip would be reduced and the pain would be manageable, if not gone.
Here's the thing, I've never been an "ease myself off" kind of person. I'm a cold-turkey-kind-of gal. Just rip off the band-aid and get it over with. I should have followed her advice. The side effects from the physical dependency, even only after ten days, and which I didn't even know I had, were enough to notice and enough to make me wish I had listened.
This made me think about what the Apostle Paul told the believers in Corinth: "You say, 'I am allowed to do anything'-but not everything is good for you. And even though 'I am allowed to do anything,' I must not become a slave to anything" (1 Corinthians 6:12, NLT).
As I looked up this verse, I came across another version in the Message translation.
"Just because something is technically legal doesn't mean that it's spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I'd be a slave to my whims."
I trust my doctor, and I'm glad I went on the medication to help manage the pain and reduce the inflammation that was causing it. In doing so however, I was becoming a slave to it, and I didn't even notice. I don't like that.
The book of Proverbs tells us to guard our hearts above all things, for everything we do flows from it. Not only do we need to pay close attention to what we pay attention to (our heart), we also must pay attention to what we do.
This last month has taught me that it is far too easy to become a slave. Whether it be to what I watch, what I listen to, what my friends say or do and how that influences me, what I do in public or what I do in private, social media, what I put in my body, anything. I'm glad I took the medication, but I'm glad I stopped when I did. I don't want to be a slave to anything, nor anyone, except Jesus Christ.
Father in heaven, help me recognize the things I engage with that are not spiritually appropriate. I don't want to go around doing whatever I want, thus becoming a slave to my whims. Help me make decisions that honor you. Thank you Jesus.
