BAD ANKLE
At the age of fifteen, while hiking with my family in Washington, I decided to explore a cliff-side cave. Then in a display of utter foolishness, I leapt from the cliff onto the trail and badly sprained my ankle. Getting back to our vehicle necessitated walking six miles on the injured foot. Over the years, arthritis set in, and now it’s bone-on-bone. Tomorrow, September 17, I’m undergoing ankle replacement surgery.
Recently, the surgeon emailed me, describing my condition in “simple” terms. “Asymmetric widening of the medial ankle mortise, likely reflecting chronic internal derangement. Severe talotibial, talofibular and tibiofibular degenerative change with extensive subchondral sclerosis/cystic change, bulky bony hypertrophy, and bone-on-bone loss of joint space height...”
I hope you skipped most of that! In fact, I deleted half of his explanation. Let me translate: “Bad ankle.” Any questions? We humans are especially skilled at complicating the uncomplicated.
In some ways that’s symptomatic of our times. A lot of issues we’re facing are about as complicated as figuring out a Rubik’s Cube while blindfolded (or like reading a medical diagnosis of an arthritic ankle).
In Psalm 131, David astutely observes, “LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp.2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. 3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD— now and always.”
The mighty king David didn’t concern himself with great matters—issues over his head. Suppose I need to follow his cue? Suppose some things are simply too deep for me to figure out? I’ll develop a migraine in the process. Maybe I need to climb on God’s lap, as he suggests, and merely rest in my Papa’s presence, like a small child. In fact, David’s last statement instructs us to place our deep concerns in God’s hands—not in politics, the economy, or… what have you.
As I’m under the knife, please pray for me. Since I have a preponderance for self-inflicted injury, please petition God, that while under anesthesia, I don’t do something foolish—like leaping off the operating table. Please pray for a quick recovery. And please remember to keep the simple things really simple.
Principle: Don’t concern ourselves with matters too great or too awesome to grasp.
Ponder:
On a scale of one to ten, how apt am I to complicate the uncomplicated?
What spiritual practices can I adopt which will help me surrender these complex issues to God?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Psalm 131.
Prayer: “Father, when I’m troubled with the affairs around me, help me like David, to climb on your lap and rest in your presence.”
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