Use It Or Lose It

I am down to the last week or so of my occupational and physical therapy, and it makes me sad because I think I enjoy the company of my therapists and value their company as much as I value the exercises they offer me to help strengthen my body.

I laugh and joke with these young people who arrive at my apartment door with stethoscopes looped around their necks, bags of miracle stress balls, stretchy bands, and friendly faces set and determined to bring some life back into the body of this seventy-seven-year-old body that has endured a lot of health challenges in the last five years or so.

We walk and talk as they observe my gait, test the strength of my weakened legs, put me through my paces to help ensure my balance, and encourage all the things that will help me remain independent of moving to other facilities for those worse off then myself, Along with this training, they ask questions about my low physical vision which as frustrating as it is, continues to run way behind the spiritual vision that God continues to increase along the way.

This makes me think of how God stretches and strengthens many of us in this hour and season. As my physical stamina increases, so does my spiritual stamina, and I am overjoyed at the correlation and spiritual connection that both of these bring. When my therapists clap and cheer, saying, “Good job, Zenobia!” I am clapping and cheering for God and the way He allows me to keep on!

While my mind, body, and spirit recover from spiritual attacks meant to seem only physical, the other components are spiritually situated to throw me off and cause me to weaken under pressure. I giggle to myself, thinking of (and sometimes singing out loud), “We’ve come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord, trusting in His holy word; he never failed me yet,” and I stand on that!

I want to say to the enemy (though I do not have real conversations with him), “Please, this is NOT my first rodeo,” but sometimes I forget that HE has forgotten, and I scamper off to talk to our Lord about the unmitigated gall of satan. The very nerve of him to try and knock us down when we think we have hit rock bottom.

When my official time with these therapists is over, I plan to thank them and bless their departure, but I will take all I am learning and share as much as will be received and continue the work so that strength will keep coming! As I know how to keep my feet under me and put healthy things into my body and heart, I am also strengthening my prayer life and pumping up my faith!

Use it or lose it is not a new term, but it still strengthens faith! Use it or lose it, and it works every time!