A Spiritual Cast

It didn’t feel like I broke anything. I turned my foot so gently that I felt sure I couldn’t have done any serious damage. And yet, 8 weeks later, I’m still sitting here with a fractured bone.

And while my foot has been broken, my family has suffered from broken hearts for various reasons. Relationships. Careers. Life transitions. Unmet expectations. Misunderstandings. Maybe you can relate. Perhaps you’re suffering the searing pain of a broken heart too.

If I’m looking for God everywhere, and you know I am, there must be something in here for us to see. There are clues, for sure! How can He use a broken foot to mend a broken heart?

Let’s look at what the doctor ordered for my foot:

1. “Immobilize. Immediately.”

2. “Keep your foot elevated.”

3. “Cast the foot.”

4. “Zero weight on your foot. ZERO!”

5. “Give it time.”

I pleaded with the doctor, “Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it. How can I make it heal faster?”

The answer? Nothing. No matter how much I want it fixed now, there’s nothing I can do to speed this up. My only option is to follow doctor’s orders and give my body time to do its thing. I have no choice in that. What I do have a choice in is HOW I wait.

I can wait feeling like I’m going to turn inside out. Which I have felt. I’ve been still but not quiet. I know this is a bad recipe. It’s torture, actually. So, I’ve asked Him to help me get quiet and accept where I am and for Him to pour into me all He wants to pour in me in this time.

But it’s painful. Doing nothing is painful.

More than that, I can feel my broken bone shifting around as my cast has gotten looser. I was so unnerved by the pain of the shifting, broken pieces, I went back to the doctor.

Looking at the new x-ray, he reported, “I see exactly what I expect to see. Nothing. You can’t see new bone on an x-ray for at least 6 weeks,” he continued. “It doesn’t mean it isn’t healing. We just can’t see it yet.”

Feeling the broken pieces shift hurts. But it isn’t hurting me. While I wait, I have no choice but to trust the cast is doing its job of protecting my bone.

Heavy sigh. No matter how much I want to be better right now, there’s nothing I can do.

Let’s translate this to your raw and broken heart:

1. “Immobilize” translates to - Be Still.

Not in your body but in your mind. Do nothing right now. Make no decisions or big moves.

2. “Keep the broken part elevated” translates to - Stay Encouraged.

How? Encourage yourself with what you know, not what you feel.

His Word tells us to be still and know, not be still and feel. He loves you with an everlasting love and He will never leave you or forsake you, no matter what it feels like. Did you know you are His treasured possession? (Deut. 26:18) Your heart is healing, even though you can’t see it or feel it…yet.

3. “A cast for protection” translates to - His Presence and love wrap around you.

Like I’ve been doubting the snugness and protection of my cast, we doubt the nearness of God in times of traveling through painful places, don’t we?

Did you know the Cloud of His Presence that we read about in Numbers surrounded the Israelites in seven ways? In all 4 directions, above, and beneath and finally, His Presence went before them. This was a miraculous physical manifestation of His Presence. He guided and led them in this way.

Well, we have a new and better Covenant. His Presence and Love lives within us! We are vessels that carry His Presence with us, always, the way the priests used to carry the Ark of the Covenant. Even though we may not feel His Nearness, we house His Presence.

I’ve been encouraged by Bill Johnson’s teaching on Psalm 91. He reminded me that perhaps the reason things seem so dark is because I am kept under the Shadow of His Wing! So close to Him, there’s no light between us.

4. “Let time do its work” translates to – Letting your Daddy God do His Healing Work in your heart requires time.

Trust healing is happening. Even though you can’t see anything yet. It will take time. Remember, as broken pieces shift, they may hurt. But trust they are being knit back together.

5. “Zero weight. Zero. None!” translates to- Do not encumber your heart with any added weight.

This is the most important thing you can do. Don’t place any burden, barrier, or “self-help” on your heart. Don’t make any inner vows that you will never trust again. That you will never hope again. That you will never be vulnerable again. Don’t wall your heart off to protect it. Travel lightly with no extra, self-imposed weight.

You may be pleading with your Daddy for faster healing. But we know He is never hurried. So, give yourself over to the process. Like my broken foot, your broken heart is temporary. Just because you can’t see the healing yet, doesn’t mean you’re not being healed. And He will bring you through it with new strength and the experience of being held so closely.

As a Christian life coach, it’s my honor to help you find the healing and wholeness He has for you. I invite you to schedule a complimentary, 30-minute “Virtual Coffee Chat” to see if my coaching ministry may be helpful to you. You can do this on my website Bridget Anderson Coach.

And, if you’re looking for a speaker for your next women’s event, please contact me at Bridget Anderson Public Speaking. I’d be honored to teach at your gathering.