Shoulders back!

Tendonitis in the shoulder. Maybe some damage to the rotator cuff. Maybe the beginnings of a frozen shoulder. The physio’s diagnosis was clear.

But why? (the question always on Flick’s lips...) Maybe this, maybe that; nobody really knows. As I lay on my stomach, though, she remarked that she could see from muscles in my upper back that I was beginning to get into a habit of slumping. Posture! 

It horrified me. When I was growing up, my mother drilled it into me. Stand up straight. Shoulders back. Tummy in. The gym teacher repeated the mantra. The instruction took root within me and I thought that is what I do. But it seems I’m beginning to slacken. 

So now I’ve got some exercises, and the instruction that whatever I do, from lifting shopping to lifting children, I need to remind myself to keep those shoulders back. 

We easily become frozen in our stances towards issues, towards people. Why? Big reasons and small and no reasons at all. Some valid and many prejudiced. As we freeze up, our vision narrows and becomes myopic. 

Perhaps because of the shoulder pain, the muscles on my upper back are hard, locked in spasm and as painful as the tendonitis. I’m sitting here with heat on the muscle, hoping to encourage it to relax.

So with stiffened attitudes: they are accompanied by stiff necks. God often called the Israelites a stiff-necked people, and he wasn’t pleased. 

Sitting with God’s Word warming my thinking is the best way to relax and let my eyes be opened, my vision expanded, my love deepened. 

Shoulders back. Eyes up.

Be Still and Know

Be still and know that I am God.

What a glorious command. It makes me breathe deep and relax.

Yesterday again I was walking along a river, where the day before I had been drawn to consider the waters rushing and tumbling over the rocks, their droplets catching the sun’s rays and twinkling like diamonds. It had caused me to reflect that there is beauty in brokenness.

Yesterday instead I was drawn to the reflections of the trees, arrayed in their autumnal finery, clearly visible in the still waters. Those reflections could not be seen once the waters got flowing fast, but where they pooled and paused on their way to the sea, the oranges and reds of the trees were stunning.

Be still and know that I am God. It is when we are still that we can best reflect God. When we have been still with God, others can see him in us. We may not be aware of it, but others are. We are reflecting the beauty of our creator rather than the turmoil of our own lives.

I also noticed that in a quiet tributary where the kayakers were practicing their slalom maneuvers, the reflections could be seen, and that out of that quiet space, the waters gathered pace to re-enter the river and cascade over the rocks, sparkling in the sunlight like gemstones.

The quiet times in God’s presence prepare us for the frenetic times in life when all we can do is rush and tumble, but in those moments of rush and tumble, because of our earlier preparation, his glory can still be seen.

Oh I do like to walk by the river. Be still today, and know that he is God.

Relax!

Fourth entertainment event at our place in eight days. I’m on first names with the folk at Tesco as I dive in practically daily.

There’s a few plus points on having a rolling diary of events. Having picked up the clutter in many rooms, it hasn’t had time to slump back onto chairs and tables in quite the usual amounts. A quick dash round in a few minutes should complete the tidying, then a zip through with a duster. 

We’re eating well. If it’s not the original dishes it’s the leftovers the next day. Desserts in abundance; good for the taste buds – bad for the figures. 

We’re enjoying meeting new people, getting better acquainted with folk we don’t know very well, and enjoying close friends and family. 

The downside, from my point of view, is the number of hours I’ve spent both at Tesco’s and in the kitchen over these last eight days, and that’s with keeping meals fairly simple and relaxed. 

Jesus enjoyed parties and gatherings with friends, and he didn’t need fancy food or well-dusted houses. He told Martha to relax and hinted that she should join her sister Mary in just enjoying his presence rather than racing round trying to make everything tidy and perfect.

I’m taking that story to heart, so that tonight I will enjoy our company and not be so worn out I haven’t the energy to contribute to the conversation.