Reminders

Stress brought on my first serious pain just after turning thirty. Shingles, they call it, which to me meant a little spot and a whole lot of pain. When the doctor identified the foreign rash on my lower back the pain had not yet begun. Armed with antibiotics and pain pills it hit that night, like nothing I've even experienced. A result of allowing the stress of my job consume me.

My second pain was caused five years later by stupidity. In a hurry I lifted a cooler with 20+ pounds of ice without bending my knees. Within 20 minutes the pain was excruciating and it took over 20 days to heal (that was my summer on the sofa). I was trying to do too much, too fast.

To this day, when I get stressed out, my shingles spot hurts. And, you guessed it, if I do too much lifting, pulling or sometimes even sitting, the muscle I pulled aches. Usually I mutter "I'm old" or "I'm falling apart" and most of the time, God reminds me of the truth.

You overdo it. You need to take time to rest.
Don't worry about tomorrow...trust Me to take care of you.

So, I'll take the reminders He's given me. I'll pray and let go of my stress. I'll remember even I need a break and my family needs me to spend time with them. And I'll praise God for the reminders. Without them, I would have missed out on the peace found in relying on Him and the joy of family time.