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While living in Birmingham, I visited a chiropractor because my neck hurt.

The doctor concluded, “You have a screwy spine.”

DEXA (Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) bone scans confirmed osteopenia (bone loss) in my hips and spine—early stages of a weakened, brittle skeleton.

I also have osteoarthritis (joint disease) in my right thumb. I can type on my laptop and play the piano, but the pain forced me to let go of my computer mouse and learn how to use a touchpad. This “thorn in the flesh” reminds me of my weaknesses and stiff-necked rebellion—overuse of my hands and body despite warning signs.

Cancer often attacks damaged parts of the body. My mother’s broken hip most likely led to her bone cancer and death at age seventy-eight. Smokers often get cancer in their weakened lungs.

Physical weakness can also reflect spiritual weakness. Satan attacks our spirits at our weakest points. When we think our faith is strong in a particular area, Satan tempts and tests us at precisely that point. But when we ask God, He fills the holes in our faith, bodies, and minds—making us strong enough to face physical and spiritual attacks, fear the Lord, and shun evil.

God is always with us, like the grandfather who hides behind trees, following his granddaughter home from school every day to assure her safety. Unseen, God strives to protect us within the boundaries He puts in place.

I surrender my physical and spiritual flaws to Jesus daily and ask Him to massage and nourish them with His unconditional love. I hope you will do the same. 

(Photo courtesy of pixabay and stevepb.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)