There are over 600 muscles in the body, and standing upright is not the work of one muscle. It requires the coordinated strength of the back, hips, legs, and core. With that in mind, the story of the woman who had been bent over for eighteen years made me wonder which of her muscles needed healing to be set free to move.
The Bible doesn’t tell us the details.
What it does tell us is this: her physical condition had restricted her for a very long time.
And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. Luke 13:11-13 ESV
His touch healed the spirit that had disabled her back, hips, legs, and core. More than that, I love that this story reminds us that Jesus cares about the whole person. He cared about her spiritual life, her physical condition, and desired freedom for her to move.
We may not ever face a disabling spirit like hers, but as we age, we could lose some abilities if we don’t intentionally work to maintain them. Strength can decline, balance can become less reliable, and mobility can become more limited.
For that reason movement is a gift worth stewarding.
We may not be able to do everything we once did. We may need to modify exercises, work within limitations, and remember to move slowly. Just as important, our strength is not built during the workout alone. The workout provides the stimulus. Recovery allows the body to respond.
Muscles need time to repair, energy stores need to be replenished, and our nervous system needs rest. Our joints and connective tissues need time to recover from training stress. Without recovery, we continue demanding from the body without allowing it to rebuild. That truth extends beyond our muscles. The woman in Luke 13 had been bound for eighteen years. Jesus saw her, called her forward, and restored her.
Freedom Brings Restoration
Adjusting our training to allow for restoration does not mean we are giving up. It means we are learning to pay attention to how God designed us. We cannot strengthen our muscles by constantly tearing them down without allowing the time, nourishment, and rest needed for repair. In much the same way, our lives need rhythms of restoration as well.
We were not created to be continually depleted. Instead, there is a time to work, a time to rest, a time to push forward, and a time to recover. And perhaps every time we strengthen our legs, practice our balance, improve our mobility, take a walk, or choose to rest and recover, we can remember the woman who stood upright and glorified God.
Of course when Jesus said, “You are freed,” and her healing came instantly, our bodies however, often heal over time. And while our 600 muscles will inevitably experience some limitations in this life, we can still pursue the freedom to move as well as we are able. After all, there is still life to live, people to love, work to do, and worship to offer, and every day that we can move is a gift.
Reflection:
- What am I grateful that my body can still do?
- What does my body need from me today: movement, challenge, or recovery?
- And finally, in what area of my life might God be inviting me to receive restoration rather than continue striving?
*For those of you who prayer walk, choose one question to ponder as you walk. Pray about what the Holy Spirit reveals to you. For your copy of this week’s screensaver, click here. And to access all of my YouVersion Bible App devotional plans, click here.