On Discomfort

Human bones have this characteristic that they are living, reactive tissue. We tend to think of them as formed, and static, when in actuality they are ever remodeling themselves.

They display an interesting phenomenon which is that when mechanically stressed, they become stronger. The physical stress of movement causes electic currents within the bone tissue that in turn stimulates the production of more structural bone tissue. It is only by stress that bones become stronger. This is why astronauts get weaker in space - because gravity is not in effect and therefore the bones are not asked to carry weight and stress to the same degree, therefore they weaken.

Each of our recovery paths is like this.

I was in a meeting last night and three words jumped out at me, "Acceptance of Discomfort."

We tend to have ideas, how our recovery should go. How it should progress. What the timing should be for milestones. And we have this fantasy that each day it should get more comfortable. After all, we suffered through a painful bottom, came to understand we had to give up executive control of our lives, so shouldn't it get better, now?

Problem is, we have our own ideas of what "better" and "recovery" should look like. And they don't always mesh with reality, or with what the plan of our HP looks like. We pay lip service to the principle of turning our will and our life over to our God, but most of us lie, and only do it partially, clinging at least to our IDEAS of what should be forthcoming, in our New-Improved-Version-of-Me. Part of that new version is less pain, and more comfort, in our estimation.

But I think God knows that we grow best - are most strengthened - under stress, like bones. And that we may need a good, long time of stress, to get the bones where he wants them - strong enough to be useful for rigorous work. Coming out of our bottoms, most of us are like astronauts returning from a year in space. Not terribly strong.

We, in our impatience, envision an easier way. We think Surrender should be a ticket to comfort, and quickly. That Surrender should open some gate to a magical bypass route around Discomfort. It doesn't occur to us that perhaps our HP will enter us into a lengthy journey of downright suffering AFTER we Surrender, so we grow robust for His work. And clever God, who does a lot of two-for-ones, also wants us to get a good feel for what we missed, avoided, all the time we escaped - how weak and useless those ways really made us.

I'm still thinking about this concept, those three words:

ACCEPT OUR DISCOMFORT

It's one of those things the noggin just isn't sure it wants to incorporate, in our model. That we must do this. Myself included.

Hmmmmmmm.

-The Traveler