Message Balls Blog

When I’d supported others on their healing journey, it didn’t seem that hard to see where they weren’t trusting Jesus for His healing. It was more challenging when it came time for me to decide a path for my own healing. Making decisions on my own health not only actively challenged my faith but also helped me see where I was on my faith journey.

I’d been having pain in my left shoulder blade with tingling and numbness down my left arm. After praying and declaring my healing in Jesus’ name for a couple of months, I finally told Jim about it. He then made an appointment with a chiropractor he’d gone to who’d been recommended by a friend. The evening before my appointment, a neighbor unexpectedly dropped in for a visit and updated us on his various medical issues. My interest peaked when he shared about needing neck surgery. When he described a pain that started in his neck and went down his left arm, I said I had the same thing. “That’s not good,” he said. He told us that when the pain started, he’d gone to a chiropractor, and the chiropractor got too strong and hurt him.

After our neighbor left, I thought it wasn’t a coincidence he had dropped in and told us that story. Feeling it was the guidance I’d been looking for from God, I told Jim I didn’t want to go to the chiropractor. He assured me his chiropractor was very gentle and wouldn’t hurt me. So, again I was open to the appointment until the following day when I heard Joyce Meyer on TV. She talked about how we ask God for guidance but aren’t willing to do what He says out of fear of going against what others say.

Jim and I argued back and forth about it. When he again told me his chiropractor wouldn’t hurt me, I told him God wouldn’t hurt me either. He said the doctor could do one little tweak, and it would be gone just like that. I said so could God. It could happen as soon as I choose God over the doctor. That’s when I saw the crossroads and what Joyce was warning about. I was tempted to go to the chiropractor just to please Jim. What would it hurt, I thought. It might hurt a lot, according to our neighbor. After explaining to Jim that I wanted to follow where I felt God was leading me even if I was wrong, he said he would call and postpone my appointment.

Then while at Bible study, my worship leader friend told me about a chiropractor that does, what she called, a one-finger touch treatment. She gave me his phone number and later sent me a link to his website. After checking it out, I felt it might be God’s guidance. So I made an appointment, and Jim came with me.

The doctor took x-rays and other tests that included comparing my leg lengths and a scan of my neck that produced a graph. My left leg turned out to be a half-inch shorter than my right, and my number one vertebra was out of alignment. He said it was probably from an old injury that hadn’t healed correctly. He said he could put it in the correct position and that once it’s back in place, my brain would flow correctly through my nervous system again, and my body would heal itself. That sounded good to me. Then he warned that it could be a lengthy process depending on how old my injury was. He explained that after he puts the vertebra in its correct position, it will want to go back to the place it’s been used to for so long and that it takes a few times before it will stay. I would need to be checked twice a week at first, then less and less as it holds for longer periods. He also said it would heal faster if I didn’t take any pain medication. I’d only been taking Advil, but he said he’d be opening up my nervous system, and medicine shuts it down by numbing the pain. After considering all the information, Jim and I agreed to proceed with the treatment plan.

It did turn out to be a long process. It was months before my neck started holding for more extended periods. And almost a year before the pain went away and I could get back to all my regular activities. Getting there was a rough road, though. It seemed to get worse before it got better, and there were times I feared it wouldn’t get better. As the pain in my back continued and my neck got stiffer, I started reducing activities, which ended up being just about everything. The one thing I felt I couldn’t quit was Community Bible Study (CBS) until my newly formed tech team was ready to carry on without me. I often wondered if God had another reason for making it so I wouldn’t leave CBS. It was hard just getting up and dressed, let alone all I needed to do there, so I did take an Advil or two to help me through.

Concerned friends began advising various remedies that had worked for them, such as healing oils, pain patches, stretching exercises, and massages. When I asked the chiropractor about the different things, he’d say they wouldn’t help and would only interfere with what he was doing. He kept reminding me that aligning my neck would allow my brain to flow through my nervous system normally, and my body would heal itself. It made complete sense to me, but when I tried to explain it to others, they didn’t understand and would urge me to see a medical doctor. I was starting to see that my path was not for everyone, but it still seemed right for me.

I was glad Jim agreed and supported me. He had taken me to all my appointments and heard the information from the chiropractor firsthand. He even learned how to check my leg lengths and could tell if my neck was out or holding before my checkups. Even with Jim’s support, the pressure from well-meaning friends to get an MRI became overwhelming, and I gave in. I changed medical insurance to better cover the cost of an MRI, and by the time I saw a primary doctor in the new plan, I’d much improved. The doctor ordered X-rays, the same ones as the chiropractor, no MRI, and prescribed medication. She also told me to stop seeing the chiropractor until we see if the medicine helps or not. Again I found myself at the crossroads deciding whether to stay on the path with the chiropractor where I felt God had led me or switch to the course others had urged me to go. After thinking and praying about it, I decided I would not stop seeing the chiropractor since I was getting positive results.

I’d come to know I didn’t yet have the faith to rely only on Jesus’ name for my healing like I first wanted. But from the resistance, I could tell I was on an Uncommon Path which I learned similarly takes faith. As I kept finding myself at a crossroads, I ultimately admitted that fear and doubt had brought me there. When I did, God said to me, “Now you know.” Relieved, knowing God understood and forgave me, I continued with Him where He removed the source of something holding me back. I’ll tell you about that next time.

To be continued . . . see Edification-Corridor

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022 at 9:52 am and is filed under The road to the greater life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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