Written by: --Scott Sager

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (2 Cor. 12: 9) 
 
I was in Texas when my brother convinced me to come play pickleball with them at his church—they need a fourth. It was my third time to ever play, and I began to get the hang of it. Then my team started winning. And with each winning point the game got more and more competitive. I charged the net for a low shot and then, "Pop!" I went down in a full frontal crash.
 
I ruptured my Achilles.
 
Rupturing an Achilles is not as bad as you think. It's worse!
 
It is the very first definition used by God to describe the crippling effects of sin. Remember the curse on the snake? God told Satan, "He (Jesus) will crush your head, and you will strike his (humankind's) heel" (Gen. 1: 15). When your heel has been struck you go down in pain, can't get up, and limp for a long time as you gradually try to rehabilitate and get back the strength you lost.
 
So here are some lessons I've learned from my surgery on March 14 and in the months that have followed as I've bumped into many Lipscomb athletes at M-Power as we are all doing physical therapy together:

1. I Hate Satan More Than Ever! Dealing with the physical impact of an Achilles rupture has made me more aware of how debilitating Satan and sin are in our spiritual lives. Satan is striking at our heels, the place where we are most vulnerable, in order to incapacitate us and keep us from walking in God's light. Resist him!
2. Jesus is a Trusted Surgeon. Reading the stories of paralyzed men who took up mats and walked made me realize anew just how profound the healing power of Jesus was—and is. Imagine being paralyzed in a world before surgery—your career is over, forever. In Mark 2, a paralyzed man with the help of four friend drops in on Jesus through a hole in the ceiling. When Jesus saw the man, his assessment of the man's greatest need was forgiveness—not healing. That was true for me as well—but I sure wanted healing too!
3. Waiting is Often Miserable. Achilles surgery is so awful because you are basically waiting for a rubber band in your heel to heal. If you stretch it before its healed, it loses its elasticity. So, if you want to run fast, jump far, and go hard again—you have to wait. Isaiah knew we hate to wait, but he still wrote these words in Isaiah 40: 31: "Those who wait in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." You want to run? You got to wait.
4. We All Need a Life Coach. My physical therapist at M-Power is terrific, her name is Noelle. She mixes joy and a smile with a no nonsense attitude that expects me to do everything she puts before me. She has a keen eye for my gait and can tell when I'm not walking right or carrying my weight as I should. And she is swift to correct—but she's not mean-spirited about it. She sees me overcompensating for my injury and she wants me to be 100%--so she gets my walk right. I suspect that is what a spiritual friend does for each of us. They see when our walk with the Lord is not right, and they encourage us to correct it.
5. Exercises and Discipline Are My Friend. Noelle assigned me a set of PT exercises to do daily on an app called Medbridge. There, a robot walks me through 41 minutes of exercises, telling me each exercise to do, and how many sets. Noelle can then tell from the app if I'm doing my exercises daily, a few times a week—or not at all. I can tell the difference any day I don't do them. Same for my spiritual life. On the days I wake up, read my Bible, and pray—my walk is better. Exercise and discipline matter; we pay a daily price to grow stronger.
6. We All Need a Goal. I had Achilles surgery on March 14 knowing full well that the biggest day left in the rest of my life was June 1. What was so special about that day? My only daughter was getting married, and I was walking her down the aisle and sharing a first dance with her as well. You don't do that in a boot, or with a limp—you get one shot to get that right. That meant I had 11 weeks to get from a rupture to fully functioning and in dance mode. I guess you can see from the photo that we did it; God is good!
7. Strength in Weakness. God has used this injury to remind me that when I am weak, then he is made strong through me. The Spring Semester was my best semester of teaching since I came to Lipscomb. I think students knew the sacrifice I was making just to be present, and they appreciated it. My weakness became a witness to his goodness in my life. And I suspect the same is true for you.

Although I don't wish an Achilles rupture on anyone, God has been faithful throughout this journey. My prayer is that the injury will make me a nicer, more compassionate person. I want to notice other people on scooters and in wheelchairs in the airport and remember I've been there—and be compassionate.
 
Maybe God will use your weaknesses for his glory and for your education as well.