I have suffered with plantar fasciitis for several years. If you’ve ever experienced it, you know the pain can be horrific at times. After the initial diagnosis nearly five years ago, I was able to live pain free for quite a while. But unfortunately, it wasn’t permanent.

Recently, my left food has caused such problems that I decided to head back to the doctor for more treatment. My primary care physician sent me to an orthopedic podiatrist in hopes of getting this pain under control.

www.webmd.com

I heard some pretty startling facts. If you suffer once, from this foot ailment, chances are near 100% that you will continue to suffer with this problem. A strict stretching regimen will cure this ailment nearly every time. The stretching of this connective tissue must be done daily for the rest of my life.

So, to begin with, before getting out of bed each morning, I must do a stretch to relax the tissue.  I then must stretch and exercise my feet five times per day for the next three months. Without fail. I cannot miss a single time.

After this steady, intense period of time, the plantar fascia should be feeling much better, however, I’ve been instructed that I must stretch and exercise my feet one time per day for the rest of my life.

There are other things that I can add to the regimen, like icing my feet at the end of the day. I can add ibuprofen to help with the inflammation. A boot can be worn at night to keep the tissue stretched or a shoe orthotic could be purchased. If the pain is beyond what I can tolerate, a steroid shot can be given.

Well, this is certainly more than I expected for some pain in my feet. But to be honest, the pain has steadily grown to the point that I dread standing up. I know it’s going to hurt. I know it will nearly bring me to tears. So this “fix” seems pretty doable. Pretty simple.

So here are some of my thoughts and how God can use this situation in my life as a teaching moment.

It takes effort on my part.

Like my foot stretching and exercising, if I don’t make the effort to develop my relationship with God, it will eventually shrivel up. At first it might take a lot of effort. But once the routine is there, it will be easier and more natural to spend time with God.

Prayer, Bible reading and Bible study will all bring us closer to God. We get to know Him as we learn about Him through this special time. And our time with God must be daily and regularly. Don’t miss a day. The effort will be worth it.

It is an easy fix.

Who would have thought plantar fasciitis could be cured this easily? Without surgery. Without any real invasion. It’s just stretching and exercise.

Guess what? It’s that easy with God too. Pick up a Bible. Pray a simple prayer. Talk to God. It’s His greatest desire to spend time with you. It really is easy.

Stretching is the best.

Sometimes our faith needs a bit stretching. It’s during the times of trials or suffering that we draw closer to God and find that we are stronger on the other side.

It may not mean that the issue has disappeared, but it does mean that you’ve chosen to step closer to God and allow Him to take control of the situation. In the end, your faith will have been stretched and you will be better for it.

It is a life-style change.

[Big sigh!] I don’t like exercise. But in this case, it really is what’s best for me. So my attitude must change. My life-style must be changed for the better.

When we make that same realization about our spiritual life, we will soon see that spiritual growth and development are also life-style changes. As mentioned earlier, it does take effort on our part. But a spiritual life-style change is so worth the effort.

I must continue, even if I’m feeling better.

So the trial or suffering has passed. You survived. Life returns to some kind of normalcy and all is well. Please don’t stop spending time with God until the next big issue arises!

You’re on a roll. Keep it up! You’ll find God on the mountain tops as well as in the valleys of your life. He’s there all the time. So don’t stop!

Life will be better.

For my feet, I’ll be able to walk without pain for the rest of my life if I continue with my stretching and exercise. The key is to continue with what I’m doing.

In life, there’s no guarantee of no more pain if we walk with God, but we have the assurance that He will be with us through it all. And because God is with you, life will be better.

I honestly cannot imagine going through my life situations without God by my side. I’m certain I would be angry, bitter and out of sorts most of the time. Well, to be honest, there are times when I am that way. But as I give my burdens, my feelings, and my reactions to God, I am stretching my faith. I am keeping myself on my regimen. I am allowing God to do His work in me.

Perhaps you find yourself in a similar situation. Perhaps you need to work on developing your relationship with God. Perhaps it’s time for you to begin a spiritual regimen. If so, I’d love to chat with you about it. Why not drop me a line? Let’s see what God has in store for you.

I’ll leave you today with some encouraging words from God’s Word. I pray that you’ll find some comfort in reading them. I know that I do.

“God did this (creation of world and man) so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” (Acts 17 27-28 – NIV)

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna