“And now . . . for the rest – of the rest of the story”

Luke 15:5 – And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

(Continued from the Blog Post of 7/17/2018)

So, it’s the next ski season and I’m back on the slopes again, enjoying careening down pristine mountain trails. Praise God! It’s glorious. My shoulders are in perfect operation and I’m feeling fine. So fine that I get this idea that I’m going to go off a jump and “catch some air”. Something I rarely do. I take off and the second my skis leave the packed powder I realize this was not a good idea. A snowboarder undercuts me, I throw my weight back and land on my back with my left arm tucked underneath me. Owe, that hurt!

I get up, pull myself together, and feel a sharp, familiar pain coarse through my shoulder. Oh no! But this time it is not my right shoulder, the one that had been miraculously healed, it’s my left shoulder. Good grief! I can’t believe it.

I go through almost the exact experience I went through with my right shoulder. People praying for God’s healing but it only seems to be getting worse. Once again, I conclude that, while I was spared surgery before, surely another miracle is out of the question. I mean I was healed once for a skiing accident, at some point God’s got to be thinking, if that’s how you want to risk your body for enjoyment then be prepared to suffer the consequences. Like the Seinfeld Soup Nazi, God must be saying – “No more miracles for you!”

I resign myself to scheduling surgery this time. But, I can still ski even with the damaged shoulder. The ski season is nearing the end, and wanting to get the most out of my season pass. I decide to go out for a last time down the mountain.

The conditions were icy and I should have never strapped on my skis but I go. On the final run I hit a big chunk of ice, catch an edge and go flying forward. I land on my chest and get the wind knocked out of me. I come to a stop and my gear is scattered everywhere. Checking myself out I realized I damaged my thumb. It’s just flopping around.

I really can’t grab the ski pole but everything else seems fine. My legs are good. My chest seems okay. Face and head is fine. Other than my thumb, my arms are fine. Wait! My left shoulder? I move it around. There is no pain! I begin wind-milling my left arm and it is perfectly fine. No pain at all. Whaaaaat!?

After slowly skiing down to the bottom of the mountain, I spent time checking myself out and it was true. My shoulder was completely healed. No pain! For a second time a damaged shoulder was completely restored. God chose this time and in this way to answer our prayers for healing my shoulder.

So let’s recount; I damaged my right shoulder skiing and God healed it. I damaged my left shoulder skiing and God healed it. But, when God healed my left shoulder he allowed me to trash my thumb. No miracle for the thumb. I ended up having surgery and everything is back in working order. (One thing I do know is that I’d gladly trade thumb surgery over shoulder surgery. Thank you Lord!)

But, really why?

I try to make a habit of asking God, “Why?” but not with a “Woe is me” or “How could you let this happen to me?” attitude, but with an expectation that He will actually answer. (James 1:5-8)

So, what’s His answer? It’s, “I love you, Dave (He always starts that way) and you don’t deserve any of it – not the damage and not the healing. You’re living in a fallen world and growing in your expectation of me entering into your life. It suites our mutual joy and my purposes for you to have both working shoulders to carry a yoke we share.”

I ask, “But, what’s with the thumb?”

It turns out that the injury is a UCL tear known as ‘Skier’s Thumb’ (a bit of a misnomer as it gives some distinction that the person is actually a proficient skier). Was God being gracious in reducing the damage but at the same time allowing an injury with a name that gives me fair warning of the risks if I’m not more careful in the future? Now, every time I grab hold of the ski pole I’m reminded of God’s grace and the risk I’m taking. God’s way of saying, “Slow down. I need you at full strength for other things.”

Listening Through God’s Written Word

As I often do when engaging with God on a topic, I’ll do a type of Bible word study to allow God to speak to me through His written word. I start with the most relevant words – in this case searching “right thumb”. I really don’t expect to find anything this specific but ‘lo and behold’ I come across a number of scriptures including Leviticus 14:14 – “The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.”

Okay. Doing a little research I find that a Trespass Offering was a type of Biblical sacrifice, specifically a sacrifice made as a compensation payment for unintentional transgressions. Hmmmm? Blood as a covering for our sins/transgressions?

Why marking the ear, the thumb and the big toe? I believe that the offering’s purpose is about God extending his gracious forgiveness so that the offender would then hear Him more clearly, grasp His ways more fully and not stumble while following Him.

Now, as I meditate on this, I take it on faith that, through God’s transfer of pain from my shoulders to my thumb and then His gracious healing of my thumb, He’s highlighting His desire for me to more fully grasp something of His ways in my life.

“What may that be?” I ask. The light bulb pops on and suddenly I have a pretty good idea of what God may be addressing specific to my life. Something God wants me to continue to more fully understand and to pursue with Him. (For me to know and you to find out)

Admittedly, as I type this out, it all may seem a bit contrived. But, this process has proven many times to bear out to be relevant and to bring forth God’s truth and goodness for me and for others. If God’s word is alive, then let’s find more ways to have it/Him speak to us. (Warning: If we do allow God to speak to us in this way we must be certain that what we are hearing is consistent with His character – His goodness, righteousness and truth.)

If we want God to be more real and active in our lives then let’s start treating Him as more real and allowing Him to be more active. He is alive! Let’s live Him!