Full Pink Moon April 7, 2020 (Photo by Milly)

Walk With Milly (Photo by Milly 4/7/20)

I am praying you are blessed this Easter and Passover.  I woke praising God again.  I couldn’t stop it.  The evil one pricked me with guilt and I didn’t buy it!  Not one little bit.  I have found joy in the shadows.

“¹⁶ Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. ¹⁷ God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth,” [Genesis 1:16-17 NKJV]

Let’s take an evening walk together in the neighborhood on a clear night like last Tuesday in South Florida.  The super pink moon rises on the eastern horizon.  We chat about our day and walk west into a sinking sunset.  You notice one bright star popping through the changing colors of the sky to sparkle.

I cannot speak for you but I am in awe of a bright, painted sky and one star leading our walk.  For me, the star is a beacon testifying to God’s Glory and the hope he gives us.  How much does God love us to paint the sky and place the stars for us?  It was a simple thing for God to place the lights in the heavens.  Yet it is also a powerful reminder of who he is in the universe.

On that night, He gave me a star as a treasure.  Being home under these unusual circumstances, I am finding treasure.  Not jewels, gold, or money.  Those things we chase after and finding them does not always satisfy us.

In the last several months I’ve done nothing but busy work.  They call it chasing the dream. I’ve been running after stuff I thought was important.  The pandemic has placed us at home where I find the treasure of a daily routine. Instead of fitting my writing into the corners of my life, I am carving out time to write.  A habit I will need to live the “future and hope*” God has promised me.

How about learning movement?  I’ve spent years hunched over a computer only to have my muscles freeze up.  “If only I can get this project done,” I have whispered to myself countless times over a thirty-year career.  Through physical therapy, I learned that shoulder blades do actually move!  Who woulda thunk it!  Here I thought they were plates of armor.

Remember, digging for treasure is hard work.  Setting up a routine means building the habit with, dare I say it… discipline.  This applies to writing too.  Milly put the puzzles away and put the story on the page!  What is the payoff?  I get things done on time.  This means less stress, which results in less pain.  And the writing… well, I haven’t gotten to the payoff yet but I’m looking forward to a finished manuscript to start the query process.

The hardest work for me right now is physical therapy.  It is painful, time-consuming, and costly.  But a gym membership and trainer would cost a similar amount of money and pain.  And it wouldn’t give me the targeted attention I need to relieve most if not all of my pain.  This April marks the 17^th anniversary of my journey into chronic pain.  I would love to end that journey this year!

There have been other treatments that helped me get the raging pain under control.  I couldn’t have handled this journey without chiropractic care, surgery, weight loss, diet, and menopause.  They all helped, but I need more.  Even though doctors suggested physical therapy for years, I avoided trying it.  I’m already in pain!  Why would I want more pain?

I found out in physical therapy that my muscles aren’t moving like they should.  They are in a cycle of tension.  I need to retrain them.  Training is almost always painful.  On Thursday I got all proud in my mind.  I’ve going for two weeks.  I don’t need to go back; I can do this myself at home with a few videos.  No need to spend 24 hours in pain after PT.

“Whoa! You won’t do it; you haven’t even done 21 days to build the habit.”  The Holy Spirit prodded.  “You will fail if you quit,” filtered through my mind.  I know it was Him.  Because I am an eternal optimist; I don’t think I will fail until I do.

He is right and I know I need this treasure.  I can’t give up now.  I have to keep digging, even though today my shoulder blades hurt more than I thought possible.  God is having me walk a hard trail to get to the summit.  I cannot get the desires of my heart without being able to move.  I’m not there yet but with God’s help, I will complete the training and begin to move without pain.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. [Luke 8:45 NKJV]

These are my treasures in the pandemic.  In this situation, we can bring forth good or evil treasures.  I want my treasures to bring forth good.  I need God’s guidance to find the good treasure.  I can’t do it without Him.  Treasures can be elusive.  I am digging hard to find mine.  It is worth the struggle, pain, and discouragement to get to them.

If He leading you to do something beyond your abilities, start digging in, there’s a treasure to find!  Draw close to God and He will guide you to the treasures with real meaning.  Go on… with Him, you can find it.  It’s just going to take faith and work.  Remember, the treasure is worth it!

May you find your treasures too, this Easter!

Milly

P.S.  Yes, this is the post I struggled with over the last week.  I learned so much writing it I couldn’t give up on it.  I hope it blesses you as much as it has blessed me.

*Jeremiah 29:11