Following Doctor's Orders

After my spinal surgery three weeks ago, I was emphatically told “NO BLT’s!”  I know what you’re thinking: Why can’t you eat a BLT after spinal surgery? Well that’s not what it means. Rather the instruction is, “No bending, lifting, or twisting.” And that is easier said than done. 

Think of all the times during your day when you have to bend down or lift something or twist your body.  There’s something on the floor that you need to pick up so you just naturally bend down to get it. You want to move that bag of bird seed or dog food, so you lift it and carry it to where you need it to be. You hear something or someone behind you so you twist your body to see what or whom it is. Probably hundreds of times a day we bend, lift, and twist! 

So as you can imagine, it has been quite a challenge for me to follow the doctor’s orders. I need to constantly remind myself to use the “grabber” as I call it, to pick up what I just dropped. I have to tell myself, “Don’t lift that bag of bird seed or dog food.” When I feel the need to see what is behind me, I have to remind myself to turn my whole body around, rather than just turn at the waist. Ugh! It’s a lot to think about and sometimes I want to break the rules!  

Yet, I know the doctor’s rules have been given not for his well-being but for mine. The instructions he has given are so that my body—in this case, my back—might heal properly; so that eventually I will regain full strength and range of motion and once again be able to bend, lift, and twist as I need to. Thus, in spite of wanting to disobey, I am doing my best to follow the doctor’s orders: “No BLT’s!”  

Can I remind you that, when we read God’s Word and his instructions for our lives, that all of the his instructions are not first of all for his benefit but for ours. After all, God is fine the way he is—actually, more than fine. He needs no instructions to maintain his well-being. The instructions he gives to us in his Word, the Bible, are for our well-being both individually and corporately. 

We might not always like it when he calls us to live lives of purity, kindness, gentleness, compassion, etc. It might go against our natural tendency to be forgiving, selfless, and holy. At times we may have to consciously keep ourselves from using coarse language or taking revenge or becoming bitter. But, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we submit to God’s instructions, knowing that his ways are better than ours and that by living in obedience to him we will experience the kind of life our hearts long for—and bring blessing to those around us. 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9 – NIV) 

“As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.” (Psalm 18:30) 

Let me encourage you to follow the doctor’s orders—I mean, God’s!  

Have a great day! 

- Pastor Tim Harris