Do you remember playing the game “Chutes and Ladders”? You spin the spinner and move your player the number of spaces. At certain times you may land at the bottom of a “ladder” and get to climb up higher on the game board. And at other times you may land on a “chute” and have to slide back down to a lower level.
Well, that is how my shoulder recovery has been. A little bit of “chutes and ladders”. I’m going along just fine getting stronger and moving right up the therapy ladder – assisted, yellow band, red band. But then I push too hard, forget to take breaks at work or better yet use my other arm. Then push through the therapy and ended up sliding backwards with a lot of pain and back into the sling I went. Therapy dropped back to assisted exercises and a time to say “It’s okay to go a little slower.”
Life can be like that as well. We start running along and think we are making great progress. Then we run into a bump in the road or trip over something. Sometimes we fall down while other times we stumble. God has made us to be people of relationships. These relationships can help us when we stumble and fall. The people that God has placed in our lives help us up and move towards the Lord.
As Christians we have one another to come alongside us and help us up when we fall down. They help carry our burdens and pray with us and for us. As I have moved through my struggles with my shoulder recovery, God has been right there encouraging me and strengthening me in all that He has called me to do. When I feel overwhelmed or exhausted He provides those friends who help to pick me up through prayer.
As my rehab has been a sense of “chutes and ladders”, so has my daily life adventures. One knows that just as the game has an unpredictable slant to it so does life. The only thing that is for sure is that God is with us, walking through life and guiding us along. He already knows what those bumps or “chutes” are going to be. He has a plan in each one of them. He also has surprises along the way where He picks us up and moves us quickly up the “ladder” to the next level that He has for us as we grow in Him.
I am so glad that God is with me wherever I go and whatever I go through. He will never leave me nor forsake me, no matter what life throws my way. Let’s thank God for His omnipresence as He is always with us.
Hebrews 13:5b-6 … “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?”
Prayer:
Father, I am so thankful that you are always with me. You will never leave me nor forsake me. You see my ups and downs, my growth and my setbacks. You are always there cheering me on and guiding me to the next thing you have for me. Thank you for giving me friends and family that also help to pick me up when I am down. Thank you for being my great physician and healing me when I am weak and injured. Thank you for being God and being ever present in my life. I pray all of these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.