We have a word in Christianese for experiences like I had last weekend – we call them mountaintop experiences. In Christian circles, it’s common to talk about the emotional highs of a mountaintop where you encounter God in a powerful way like Moses or Ezekiel climbing up Sinai and speaking with God. It’s common for leaders at these kinds of events to caution attendees not to forget their experience but also not to chase after emotional highs because we live by faith and the encounters with the Spirit often look different in the “real life” day to day mundane tasks.
Honestly, in so many ways, I’m still riding this high because I am so radically changed by my healing last week. Those feelings aren’t what my faith is about though. Like James says, faith without works is dead, and I’ve been looking for ways this week to live out my faith. As one of my friends messaged me this week, “faith is actioning what I believe in.” A visible way that I do that is the way in which I take care of my body and testify to God’s goodness in my physical recovery.
When I got back from Denmark, I still had no tightness in my quads which was fantastic, but I had a lot more tension and discomfort in my ankles than usual. I spent more time with the braces on, and they’ve gotten better, but I’m eager to take the braces off and use my awesome new Nikes more frequently. My amazing mentor and friend Tina works at Nike and arranged to send me two pairs of the Flyease shoes – the special line of shoes made for people with disabilities. I’m elated at how wonderful they are, and I’m anxious to wear them more than my awesome Swiss made green shoes because they are a step away from mobility aids.
However, I’m still using the mobility aids when I need them because they offer me a lot of freedom and independence at this current state. There’s a misconception many people have that labels something like a wheelchair as limiting. Heavens, no! The wheelchair enables me to go places I otherwise couldn’t access with my current physical ability! The same goes for the braces. Furthermore, my braces allow me to exercise my hips and core beyond what is possible when my finicky ankles and calves need extra attention. For example, yesterday I went for a walk with my friend Kristi and her adorable baby Luci (anyone who has seen pictures of Luci will be appropriately jealous; that is one cute kid). Kristi pushed my wheelchair as I walked with my braces and we made it from my house to Heitzmann before sitting down. For those of you unfamiliar with Kandern, that’s just over 600 meters. But wait, there’s more! After a few minutes sitting down, I stood up and walked most of the distance back home before needing another rest and wheeling the final stretch home.
So sure I’m not yet physically capable of walking from my house to the top of Hoch Blauen, but whether I’m on the mountaintop or living daily life in the Kandern valley, I want to be faithful in the little things. Letting the muscles I have control over remain weak or atrophy while waiting for fruition of my healing and return of function would be stupid. I want to be responsible with what I have and live well with it. For now that means walking with the braces in the mix and celebrating God’s goodness not matter what’s on my feet.
