Seven years ago I started experiencing chronic pain, for three years before that I would ice and push through. The two years after that were the most crucial ones of time, but, throughout it all, I have gained so many things including friendship, love, compassion, and strength. The lonely appointments made me appreciate friendship. The painful injections made me stronger. The constant appointments reignited my passion. And the money I spent made me understand how our healthcare system works. The trauma I lived is a story I know.
In June of 2020, little did I know that one appointment, one decision would flip my world upside down. And since then, the time after that has been an incredible journey but what amazed me the most was that at just thirteen weeks post-operative from a left labrum repair with four anchors, femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) – cam and pincer bone shaving, synovectomy, and chondroplasty, I completed a strenuous five point four-mile hike in Utah, the one and only Angels Landing at Mt. Zion National Park. This hike took about five hours to the top. However, the most valuable part of this experience is that I felt like I got my life back, I was happy and most importantly I was pain-free the entire time. Joy is what you feel like when you are incredibly grateful and that is exactly what that felt like. What I have learned is that no does not always mean never, sometimes it means not right now.
See, the truth is that we fail to trust God when things are not going our way. We experience depression when we feel that our life has been snatched from us. We have anxiety when we think about all the things we want to do at the moment, but cannot. We sometimes focus on the negative (or the present moment) rather than looking at the positive (the future moment). What I once could not do a few years ago I can now do differently, physically and emotionally. Although pain may still endure, recovery is not linear, and life may still throw some curveballs, you can modify life during the moment, knowing that with time and practice you will be able to do them again.
Your life may seem upside down right now, but, it is not finished. God does not cause your pain but, He will use your pain to share your story with others. It is okay to be upset about something, do not let that consume you, time will pass when you change your mindset and you will get through it. You are stronger than you think.
Step out of your zone and see what God has for you because the one thing God can promise is that there will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears.
