Get moving

Don't you hate it when your feet fall asleep?  You sat in a position for too long or maybe got lost in some toilet reading and you go to get up . . . oh not again . . . that uncomfortable feeling of pins and needles.  You might stomp your foot, shake your leg, or just tread gingerly until it passes and full sensation is restored.  I think the worst part of this feeling is knowing it is often preventable.  "If only I moved sooner."  "How did I not feel this happening?"

This is far too often the case with me spiritually.  I get complacent.  I get lost in nonsense and when I want to get back on track, my first few steps are painful.  I become frustrated with myself for paying too much attention to things that don't matter and losing sight of what matters to the Lord.  Spiritually I finally tuned into God and I moved.

The other thing when hands or feet "fall asleep" is that those sensations are actually healthy normal responses that tell us our nervous and cardiovascular systems are functioning properly.  If they didn't work in this manner, no uncomfortable sensation would follow (as in the case with prolonged diabetes or when someone has a spinal cord injury).  The results are pressure sores, tissue damage, and in the worst cases, amputation.

I try to keep this in mind with regard to my spiritual walk.   The discomfort that moves me (maybe when I haven't been moved in a while) is normal and healthy and evidence that my soul is still intact.  It is actually a good thing even though it doesn't feel like it at the time.  I might take a few stumbling steps to get back on track but it is worth it.  Although I pray that I don't become complacent in the first place, I am thankful for the reminder (even when it is painful) to get moving.