Struggles and Hips

Wednesday 1/3/18 6:24 AM

The last couple of years have been difficult years in my relationship with God. My devotional life has dropped off and I’ve also struggled with maintaining my regular exercise routine. I’ve withdrawn from many of my extracurricular responsibilities and have kept pretty much to myself. Slowly but surely things are coming back into line and, fortunately, my devotional time and my exercise routine have returned to semi-normalcy.

This past summer I fell and bruised my hip and, since that time, I have had intermittent pain in my right hip and leg. I went to the doctor a few weeks ago and he thinks I either have bursitis or an inflamed IT band, the tendon that attaches the hip to the knee. Later this morning I am going to physical therapy appointment that is designed to strengthen the surrounding muscles and to remove any scar tissue.

My reading today included Genesis 32, the story of Jacob wrestling with God and having his name changed to Israel, one who struggles with God. After wrestling with God all night, God touched the socket of Jacob’s hip and wrenched it to the point where Jacob limped when he walked. The chapter ends with these words, “The sun rose above (Jacob) as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.”

I find the soreness in my hip to be somewhat annoying, especially when I’m climbing stairs. After reading the story of Jacob’s struggle with God maybe I can change my thought process and think instead of my struggle with God over the last year. Thank God that he doesn’t abandon me when I struggle to believe. My hip can be a reminder of his presence with me.