When my daughter Victoria was four years old, our family attended a high school basketball game. Victoria was playing with friends, climbed on a rail, and fell. She was brought to me, and although she claimed she was fine, her left arm just seemed… different. We went to the emergency room where an X-ray confirmed a broken bone. After surgery to set the bone with pins, a cast, and a night in the hospital, we returned home to begin the recovery process.

The following year, Victoria the Kindergartener fell off a slide at recess then went about her day. Later that evening, she sat quietly and held her right arm. “It hurts a little.”

“I’m going to the emergency room,” I told my husband. Victoria and I returned several hours later after the bone had been set and a pink cast applied to protect the new injury.

In both cases, had we not sought medical attention, the bone would have healed, but not properly. The muscles in each arm would have accommodated the new bone shape, but Victoria could have had a future of pain at the site of her injuries.

All injuries cannot be seen with an X-ray machine, yet shattered dreams, fractured relationships, and broken hearts can sideline us as much as any broken bone. During a challenging situation, I force myself to put Colossians 3:2 into practice, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

When I set my mind and align my thoughts to Heaven’s perspective, it becomes easier to find hope, forgive offenses, and deepen my faith with trust in God’s will. When my mind is properly set on things above, much like Victoria’s formerly broken arms, growth continues, strength returns, and the healing is complete.

 

Ronny Michel can be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.