Bad Ankles

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I have been a runner for most of my life. It has been an enjoyable experience! Except for-

The pulls, the strains, the tears (from my eyes and muscles), the microfractures, the rolled and possibly broken feet and ankles.

Which brings me today’s focus- bad ankles. There is not a day that goes by where my ankles do not ache and or swell. This is crazy considering I do not even run like I used to.

But I know the day it all began. When I was in my freshman year of high school I had a good year running an event called the “300 intermediate hurdles.” In our conference, I had worked my way as a freshman to second in the conference. Then one meet before regionals where I was set to qualify, I lined up in the blocks. I had an absolutely beautiful start! Then- on the first hurdles, my foot turned in, cracked, and as I fell, I saw the bottom of my spikes.

Was my ankle broken? Probably. I tough guyed it out.

But because of this, my ankle was never the same. From that point on, my ankle was never the same and has recurring injuries. When doing rigorous exercise, I have learned to trust ankle braces and ankle wraps. I do very little exercise without one on.

Knowing my insufficiency, I feel so much more comfortable when something is hugging my ankle tight. When something is not on my ankles, I feel scared to live. Wrapped tight, I feel secure.

As I wrapped my ankle before a run the other day, I felt a pang of guilt. Whether I should have or not, I do not know. But I thought this.

That in some of life’s hardest moments, I trust ankle wraps to hold me tight, but often fall short of trusting God to hold me tight. My stress. I worry. I am a human. But God is always there (Romans 8:28).

Jesus paid the ultimate price. He paid our ransom. By His life, we are able to freely speak with God and attain His comfort. Lean into His protective embrace (Psalm 23:4).

For He loves you and is infinitely stronger than any ankle wraps. So fall on your knees and worship.