Once a month I drive to Frederick to see my chiropractor.  On my most recent visit, I was reminded of the similarities to our spinal health, and our spiritual health.  I learned three important connections.

ONE: I need frequent re-alignments.  Over time, my body reverts back to sub-optimal patterns.  Slouching, lifting incorrectly, laziness regarding my exercises, etc.  Then my spine/neck revert to their old ways, which involves limited movement, and eventually pain.

Spiritually, we can revert back to sub-optimal patterns.  Ways of thinking, behaving, speaking, believing and more.  Our spiritual health begins to suffer.  We’re limited in our ability to live the life we’re made for.  And eventually we get to pain.  We need re-alignment.

TWO: A skilled practitioner knows exactly where the trouble spots are.  My chiropractor has an uncanny ability to put his finger on the one painful part of my neck and say, “Does this hurt?”  OUCH!  Why, yes, it does…and it would feel better if your finger wasn’t pushing on it.  He then patiently helps put things back in line.

Spiritually, there is no human who can do this.  But God the Holy Spirit certainly can.  When we allow God to examine our lives, he often puts his finger on the place that is filled with pain.  That’s why sometimes you may find yourself getting very emotional during a worship gathering, and you wonder, “What’s going on?”  It’s God, patiently trying to heal the broken place in your life.

THREE: My ways of dealing with stress often exacerbate my problems.  I carry stress poorly (is there a good way to carry it) and the result can be tightened muscles, reduced flexibility, and seized_up vertebrae.  The most common instruction I hear while on the table is, “relax.”

Spiritually, we don’t need to carry stress.  But we do.  We worry about so many things.  And it creates problems for us in our relationships, our appetites, our habits, and more.  And then we come across a passage like this:

Do not be anxious about anything… (Phil 4:6)

Right!  If you want to learn HOW to actually live like this, please join us this Sunday for “Overcoming Stress and Gloom.”   It’s the last week in our series, “Joyful Living in a Stressed Out World.”  Hope to see you then!

-Pastor Mark