Physical and Spiritual, Processing

Setbacks

by Tina

When I came back from the hospital I knew there would be some setbacks, but I didn’t want to get discouraged, so I sort of swept that thought under the rug. This doesn’t always (or often) work, but it did this time, likely because I was thinking about setbacks and patience before I had my stay in the hospital. I was already prepared to be patient and  tackle things a little differently. 

I have setbacks all the time. It can be very frustrating and discouraging to not be consistent and continuous with my physical fitness. I’d like to build a bit of strength and stamina. It’s also great for mental health. So it’s a goal that I keep working towards. 

Since I’ve healed enough from my surgery to get back at it again, It’s felt as though I’ve started from the bottom of my mountain, but maybe it’s more like I’ve climbed down a few feet to find a better route up. (Hmm, now where did that metaphor come from?) 😆 I have other mountains to tackle, too, but continuing to move forward physically, as well as, spiritually is important to me. So this was on my mind as I went for my walk on Thursday. 

I’m not impossible, but I am very stubborn. I can keep doing the same thing over and over thinking I will conquer this if I just keep going. That’s not a bad attitude, but doing it the same way, or looking at it the same way and expecting a different result can be a bit insane. Well, that’s what they say. I prefer stubborn and determined.  

I’ve been looking at things all wrong. I’ve been seeing everything as a problem. 

What if I looked at things with purpose? It’s right there in my blog title! That’s the crazy bit. It can be right under our noses, but we can miss it entirely. How does that happen? I thought I was fairly observant. 

When I experienced a setback before my hospital stay my thoughts were on starting over and the frustration and discouragement that accompanies that loss of progress. I knew I needed a new attitude. That’s when the Holy Spirit reminded me that as followers of Christ we start over every single day. Paul the Apostle said, I die daily. Everyday requires a fresh attitude of submission to God. We die to self, becoming Christ centered instead of self-centred. I want physical strength, but what I need even more is spiritual strength.

The things that we view as problems are building that strength: perseverance, endurance, patience, praise, trust, faith, obedience, and I’m sure the list goes on. Life’s trials and hurdles are the very things that make us stronger, wiser, braver etc. It doesn’t always look this way, but that’s likely because we tend to view things in the wrong light.  

I have more thoughts to process with the Holy Spirit’s help, but looking at things with purpose, as opposed to an endless climb, is a good start. There is purpose in the process. The Lord isn’t asleep on the job, but we can nod off. Zzzzzz.

Where Does Our Help Come From?

I look up to the hills, but where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let you be defeated. He who guards you never sleeps. He who guards Israel never rests or sleeps.

Psalm 121:1-4 (NCV)

Waking Up… (Illuminated to become a light.)

“But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Ephesians 5:13-14

“St. Paul here explains still more clearly what he means by illumination. It implies the catching the light and reflecting it, so as to become a new source of light.” 

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers 

(Photo credit goes to Pixabay.com user rottonara.)

19 thoughts on “Setbacks”

  2. Ah, yes, setbacks and starting over. Sigh. My life is riddled with them, physical, emotional, and spiritual. But, excellent points brought up here of finding a new route up and how we die daily. Appreciate the comforting scriptures, too. Here’s to the continued climb! 😊

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    1. Thanks so much, Marisa. Yes, sometimes life looks like a Mountain range! I so have to start looking at those mountains differently. God didn’t make them so glorious for nothing. 😊

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  4. Our help comes from the Lord! Our faith helps us build patience and perseverance. A climb is one step at a time, an occasional setback, to redefining of our path. Tina, I am saying healing prayers for you.🙏🌼

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  5. A wonderful post Tina. We can be so focused on reaching somewhere that we forget to soak in the process. Even if the process is not pleasant, it is a time when we can feel really close to God as He builds us up if we choose to see it that way. With whatever setbacks you have the steps ahead will never be exactly the same because you take those steps as a person who is growing closer to the Lord day by day so these steps will be viewed and experienced with eyes that are more mature in the Lord and it will shape you differently.
    Blessings to you 💙

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    1. Yes, soaking in the process. These are great words. The process most definitely isn’t always pleasant. This throws me off course. Thankfully the Lord continues to lead the way. Blessings back at ya, Manu. ❤

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  6. Whoever came up with that climbing metaphor is clearly a visionary of impeccable taste…. 😀 I get the same feeling when I come back to exercise after an injury. (Also in other things in life). All the hard earned gains are lost, have to go back to step 1 again. But I guess the more you get this, the more accustomed you and your body is to problems. Physically you might have taken a hit but you will have learned something about yourself – even if it’s to stop doing the thing that hurt you in the first place. After my last big injury I had to completely change my fitness routine and it’s so much better than the old one – without the torn shoulder muscles I would never have made the change. Sorry waffling on. Hope your smiling. 😀

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    1. 😂 This cracked me up, but maybe… maybe God should get ultimate credit since all good and perfect gifts come from Him. 😃 That’s awesome about your shoulder injury impoving your routine! So see sometimes we do need a setback to make a change. Good to know! ‘Cuz I’ve got a different goal this time! 😀

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  8. So well written, Tina! Great points!
    You are DEFINITELY NOT impossible! You are a child of God, and as such, you have the best parent in the world, and NOTHING is impossible with Him! Besides, He is obviously teaching you and training you to make the changes He knows are needed. We all need that.
    I love that thought about how God’s mercy is new every morning, and we get to start over every day; I need to remember to make dying to self a conscious part of my daily routine. Thanks for the reminder!
    Hoping you’ll be better physically soon.

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    1. Thanks so much, Ruth. Funny you should mention NOTHING is impossible with God. Yesterday morning was a rough start. Morning’s often are quite slow going. I was trying to get the cats fed and I ended up adding more crunchies to their dish instead of wet food. Our kitchen was not looking good because our sink was out of commision and with my fatigue I just could not keep up washing them by hand. So I’m struggling with everything, and my thought was, this is impossible! Right away I was corrected by the Holy Spirit. Nothing is impossible for God. After a great ordeal yesterday, the sink was finally repaired, so today I can work on getting things back in order and gaining some sanity. 😃 I almost cried at one point when Andrew was struggling with the repair. He has fibromialgia so everything is more difficult for him as well. But thankfully it’s sorted. Praise God for that! I was envisioning another week without a sink. It had already been 2 too many. I was so trying to be content in all circumstances, but when I lost control of the clutter it became a bit much.

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