Crutches

When you are on crutches, as I am now, and will be for a while, you make some discoveries - things  that you never would have seen had you not been hobbling around with pieces of aluminum sticking out of your underarms.  Such discoveries as...

...dogs and small children do not know what to think of people on crutches.  They have a sense that something is not right about this picture.  They are right.

...you cannot use an umbrella and crutches.  It just doesn't work.  Trust me.

...you cannot carry a container with liquid in it while on crutches.  Again, trust me on this.

...public restrooms and crutches, I won't even go there.

...you instantly can recognize someone else who has been on crutches.  You see it in their eyes, they understand and will either give you a nod of sympathy or go hold open the nearest door for you.  They get it.  People who have never been on crutches often don't.

...your comfort zone gets real small when you are on crutches.  It is hard to have an adventurous spirit while on crutches.  You think of places where you could go and immediately think about your obstacles and seating availability.  You also think of distances from car to chair.

...it is hard to go places where you have never been while on crutches.  Again, your comfort zone and your spirit of adventure get real small.

...crutches are a good general excuse for everything and anything you don't want to do.

The friend who served as the best man in my wedding was on crutches back in his college days when someone invited him to go on a mission trip.  You might think that is not a good idea but my friend said yes.  It was on that mission trip, while on crutches, that  he became a Christian.

Do you have crutches?  Not the ones up in the attic but ones that people can't see.  Ones that make your comfort zone real small and cause you to make excuses about things you have never done before.

The next two Sundays we will be talking about our upcoming Spring Break mission trip.  How will we view this trip and our crutches?  What discoveries will you make?   This could get interesting.

for the journey...

Tim