{"id":8211,"date":"2019-08-05T20:50:34","date_gmt":"2019-08-06T01:50:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rai.tip.temporary.site\/musings\/?p=8211"},"modified":"2025-04-27T16:09:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T21:09:55","slug":"blessings-in-disguise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/blessings-in-disguise\/","title":{"rendered":"Blessings in Disguise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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On a Friday evening last April, I stood up from my sofa to walk into another room. As I did, I caught my foot on a piece of furniture, and was catapulted into the air, falling and landing hard on my left shoulder. I knew as soon as it happened that it was a bad injury. At first, I could not sit up and I could not move my arm. I had to hold it close to my body with my other hand. The pain was intense. I spent the first few minutes with Ken praying, called a friend locally to ask for prayer, and then called a prayer line. But I still couldn't get up. So I ended up with an ambulance ride to the hospital, and several hours later coming home with pain medication and a diagnosis of a shoulder broken in three places. It was an experience I will never forget, probably one of the most difficult challenges of my adult life.

So now, three and a half months later, after several doctor visits, and weeks of therapy, I am healing. I decided that even though a bad thing had happened to me, that truly something good could come of it. What have I learned from all of this? I sought God during this time for a \"why,\" which is what I always do. But I found out the \"why\" was simply the fact that our world is fallen, broken, and bad things happen to people, including me. None of us is exempt. But what we can do is learn and grow from the challenges we face. And I have done that. God has shown me things about myself personally during this time that need to change.

One of the most important things you have to do after an injury is physical therapy. Your muscles tighten around the fracture to keep the bone in place, and they harden in that position, making it almost impossible to use your limb. So you have to spend many hours in physical therapy, allowing them to pull and stretch and push on the fracture....not pleasant, but necessary. If you do not do that, you will not regain the use of the limb. it will stay useless.

You not only have to have therapy, but you have to do home exercises every day to reinforce the therapy and keep those muscles from hardening back. During this time, I have also been having my regular chiropractic treatments. Just last week, the Doctor explained to me why the home exercise is so important. He likened it to a rubber band that can be pulled out, but it always goes back to the original place. So the adhesions and scar tissue that form around a fracture want to stay that way. If you only work on stretching them out with two days a week of therapy, they will never heal. Again, it's a daily discipline to work on stretching and exercising that is vital to the healing process.

As I pondered this, I saw a spiritual application for it. We all have those areas of our lives, personality, spiritual life, etc that need to be changed, stretched, formed into something better or even something completely different. We all have those areas of our lives that so easily capture us, and draw us away from God and His purposes. And just like those muscles and scar tissue that want to stay hardened around that fracture, we have to constantly work on those areas in our lives that draw us away, weaken our resolve, cause us to waste time, etc. It's a daily, weekly, monthly effort, and discipline, and sometimes painful, but the rewards in this life and the life to come are many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 Corinthians 4:17<\/h2> For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight<\/strong> of<\/strong> glory<\/strong>;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

King James Version<\/a> (KJV)<\/strong> (Public Domain<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hebrews 12:1-2<\/h2>1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,<\/em>\n\n\n\n

2 Looking\nunto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that\nwas set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set\ndown at the right hand of the throne of God.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

King James Version<\/a> (KJV)<\/strong> (Public Domain<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On a Friday evening last April, I stood up from my sofa to walk into another room. As I did, I caught my foot on a piece of furniture, and was catapulted into the air, falling and landing hard on my left shoulder. I knew as soon as it happened that it was a bad injury. At first, I could not sit up and I could not move my arm. I had to hold it close to my body with my other hand. The pain was intense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"\n

On a Friday evening last April, I stood up from my sofa to walk into another room. As I did, I caught my foot on a piece of furniture, and was catapulted into the air, falling and landing hard on my left shoulder. I knew as soon as it happened that it was a bad injury. At first, I could not sit up and I could not move my arm. I had to hold it close to my body with my other hand. The pain was intense. I spent the first few minutes with Ken praying, called a friend locally to ask for prayer, and then called a prayer line. But I still couldn't get up. So I ended up with an ambulance ride to the hospital, and several hours later coming home with pain medication and a diagnosis of a shoulder broken in three places. It was an experience I will never forget, probably one of the most difficult challenges of my adult life.

So now, three and a half months later, after several doctor visits, and weeks of therapy, I am healing. I decided that even though a bad thing had happened to me, that truly something good could come of it. What have I learned from all of this? I sought God during this time for a \"why,\" which is what I always do. But I found out the \"why\" was simply the fact that our world is fallen, broken, and bad things happen to people, including me. None of us is exempt. But what we can do is learn and grow from the challenges we face. And I have done that. God has shown me things about myself personally during this time that need to change.

One of the most important things you have to do after an injury is physical therapy. Your muscles tighten around the fracture to keep the bone in place, and they harden in that position, making it almost impossible to use your limb. So you have to spend many hours in physical therapy, allowing them to pull and stretch and push on the fracture....not pleasant, but necessary. If you do not do that, you will not regain the use of the limb. it will stay useless.

You not only have to have therapy, but you have to do home exercises every day to reinforce the therapy and keep those muscles from hardening back. During this time, I have also been having my regular chiropractic treatments. Just last week, the Doctor explained to me why the home exercise is so important. He likened it to a rubber band that can be pulled out, but it always goes back to the original place. So the adhesions and scar tissue that form around a fracture want to stay that way. If you only work on stretching them out with two days a week of therapy, they will never heal. Again, it's a daily discipline to work on stretching and exercising that is vital to the healing process.

As I pondered this, I saw a spiritual application for it. We all have those areas of our lives, personality, spiritual life, etc that need to be changed, stretched, formed into something better or even something completely different. We all have those areas of our lives that so easily capture us, and draw us away from God and His purposes. And just like those muscles and scar tissue that want to stay hardened around that fracture, we have to constantly work on those areas in our lives that draw us away, weaken our resolve, cause us to waste time, etc. It's a daily, weekly, monthly effort, and discipline, and sometimes painful, but the rewards in this life and the life to come are many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 Corinthians 4:17<\/h2> For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight<\/strong> of<\/strong> glory<\/strong>;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

King James Version<\/a> (KJV)<\/strong> (Public Domain<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hebrews 12:1-2<\/h2>1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,<\/em>\n\n\n\n

2 Looking\nunto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that\nwas set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set\ndown at the right hand of the throne of God.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

King James Version<\/a> (KJV)<\/strong> (Public Domain<\/a>)<\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-musings"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/window-1560966_1280.jpg?fit=1280%2C853&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8a3GA-28r","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":510,"url":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/getting-to-the-heart-of-the-matter\/","url_meta":{"origin":8211,"position":0},"title":"Getting to the Heart of the Matter","author":"Lea Splane","date":"April 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"For about the past two months, I have been suffering with hives and an itchy rash on my body. I have had allergies to different medicines, chemical, etc. in the past. So I thought it was a reaction to my laundry detergent. So I stopped using it, washing all my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Musings"","block_context":{"text":"Musings","link":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/category\/musings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/14598041337_3e8de4afa0_bedbug.jpg?fit=500%2C457&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":123,"url":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/of-chicken-nuggets-and-pigs-in-a-blanket\/","url_meta":{"origin":8211,"position":1},"title":"Of Chicken Nuggets and Pigs in a Blanket","author":"Lea Splane","date":"July 10, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"This week Ken and I have been helping with our church's annual Vacation Bible School in the evenings after work. We help in the kitchen serving the food that we give the children each night at the beginning of the evening. It is \"kid food,\" like pigs in a blanket\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Musings"","block_context":{"text":"Musings","link":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/category\/musings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/2932330337_a6dc76b5cd_chicken-nuggets.jpg?fit=500%2C334&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":552,"url":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/unto-the-least-of-these\/","url_meta":{"origin":8211,"position":2},"title":"Unto the least of these…","author":"Lea Splane","date":"January 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"A few months ago the pastor of the church we are attending passed out a card to everyone attending. The card said, \"God, what are you calling me into?\" He suggested we put it up somewhere in our home where it would remind us to ask the question of God\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Musings"","block_context":{"text":"Musings","link":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/category\/musings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"sunset","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/freedom-2053281_640.jpg?fit=640%2C486&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/freedom-2053281_640.jpg?fit=640%2C486&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/freedom-2053281_640.jpg?fit=640%2C486&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":481,"url":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/the-last-tomatoes-of-summer\/","url_meta":{"origin":8211,"position":3},"title":"The Last Tomatoes of Summer","author":"Lea Splane","date":"December 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In late October we ate the last tomatoes of summer\u2026those final pieces of fruit that ripened just before the weather turned colder. There is something wonderful about those tomatoes, knowing we are going into another season with no harvest. The last fruit of summer seems like the sweetest and best.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Musings"","block_context":{"text":"Musings","link":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/category\/musings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/tomatoes-101845_640.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/tomatoes-101845_640.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/tomatoes-101845_640.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":106,"url":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/whatever-happened-to-modesty\/","url_meta":{"origin":8211,"position":4},"title":"Whatever Happened to Modesty?","author":"Lea Splane","date":"June 1, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"As I was standing at the information booth at church on Resurrection Sunday, a young teenager (I believe she is 15) came out of the restroom with her holiday finest on - a dress that looked like it belonged in a nightclub somewhere, off one shoulder and very short! I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Musings"","block_context":{"text":"Musings","link":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/category\/musings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/14597133980_ba8996e607_Modest.jpg?fit=345%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8362,"url":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/baking-and-other-lessons\/","url_meta":{"origin":8211,"position":5},"title":"Baking and Other Lessons","author":"Lea Splane","date":"February 3, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Lately I have struggled with feeling down, maybe even depressed. All the things that have happened in the past year have really been difficult for me to handle. So the other morning I prayed and asked the Lord to help me get past it, help me to rise above and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Musings"","block_context":{"text":"Musings","link":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/category\/musings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"food plate table chocolate","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/pexels-photo-121627.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/pexels-photo-121627.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/pexels-photo-121627.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/pexels-photo-121627.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/pexels-photo-121627.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8211"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8674,"href":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8211\/revisions\/8674"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/splanescorner.us\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}