Power in the Blood

A week ago I went back to my foot doctor to receive and injection in the foot that I broke back in December.  It was something that he suggested some time ago and something I have had done to this foot to help with a problem I was experiencing even before the break.  It is not a steroid injection, but an injection of my own blood, centrifuged down to platelets and plasma.  That platelet rich plasma is injected into an injury to use your own blood's healing powers to help enhance the healing process.  It is a fairly simple process, with no side effects.  Except for the pain of the injection.  That is no small thing.

I was sitting in the chair in the exam room and the doctor was ready to inject the plasma into my foot when the thought occurred to me, I better not cough while he is doing this, that would not be good.  I had been coughing with a sinus infection that week.  Just as I put a cough drop in my mouth, the doctor stuck this ten inch needle in my foot (I know it was not ten inches long, it just felt like it).  I immediately sucked in a breath of air and the cough drop went to the back of my mouth.  I could swallow it or choke on it.  Chocking with a ten inch needle in your foot would not be good. I decided to swallow.  But then I had to fight a cough and I could not catch my breath. 

The nurse that was with the doctor kept saying, "Breathe, sir, breathe."  I wanted to say, "I would if there was any air left in this room," but I could not even get that out.  I did not remember my previous injection hurting like this.  I am glad I did not remember or I would not have agreed to have it done again.  It really hurt.  For a few days after, it was pretty sore but as I write this, I can say my foot is feeling better.  I am not ready to run a 5k race but it feels better than it did.

It is funny how things that help heal us often hurt in the short run - at the beginning. Then over time, God brings the healing to a place where we can feel it.  It is not just in physical things, it is that way in spiritual things as well.  Confession can be pretty painful in the moment but it leads to great healing.  The thought of repentance can fill us with a fear of pain, but later when we really have repented, we find it was a lot more painful to go around doing things our way instead of God's way.  If we have been running from God, the thought of following God can fill us with thoughts of dread.  But when we follow God, our lives become filled with His love.

When Jesus died on the cross, he went through pain, he shed his blood, he went through a dreadful death for us so we would not have to go through it.  There is power in our own blood to help heal a wound.  There is power in his blood to free us from all of our sin. 

This week and next week, we will be talking about "Life's Healing Choices."  Those messages will be an overview of the core of a Celebrate Recovery ministry that we will be starting soon.  I am praying that a lot of us will find healing.  And get free of a lot of pain.

for the journey...
Tim