Thursday, August 21, 2014

The Hard Work of Rehab


“If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.  Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.  For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.  This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.  That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.” (I Timothy 4:6-10 NIV)

During the pre-surgery consult with my orthopedic surgeon last spring, he told me he would replace my knee and then his work was done.  “The recovery is up to you,” he said.  

In all of my research prior to the surgery, what the doctor told me was confirmed.  Successful knee replacement surgery is dependent on the patient’s willingness and commitment to do the rehab.  A friend recently told me of a relative who was not progressing well after her TKR surgery. The problem, he said, was her lack of interest in doing the rehab exercises. 

In our church culture, there is a lot of emphasis on getting saved, but often little recognition of the damage done by our lostness.  To draw a parallel to my TKR surgery, becoming saved is the operation to give us a new heart and new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26), which is followed by a long rehabilitation period.   We are new creations, but we are far from godly. As Paul tells Timothy, godliness comes by training.  

Too often, we have the false impression that turning our lives over to Jesus initially is all that is needed, but that is like me thinking getting my knee replaced will make everything better.  It merely lays the groundwork for vast change in lifestyle and quality of living, but there remains much hard work to be done for that to happen.  The rehab is the key.

For decades I walked on a bad joint and my leg was terribly bowed.  The surgery replaced the bad joint and realigned my leg.  My physical therapist told me that most of my recovery would involve retraining my muscles after years of firing from a certain position.  Now they are in a different position and unaccustomed to it. Without training, they will attempt to function as before.  

Prior to knowing Jesus, there were years of godless thoughts, habits, and actions.  They were ingrained in us and came naturally to us.  Yes, we were given a new heart and new spirit, but our flesh is unaccustomed to our heart’s new alignment.  It must be trained if we are to see the results we have been told are possible.   

Today, recognize that in order to become godly, you must be willing to do the work.  It will not happen naturally or without effort.  After any operation, there is a period of recovery and rehabilitation.  The same is true after we accept Jesus as the Lord of our lives.  Much work awaits if we are to make a full recovery.  

© Jim Musser 2014

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