During the Covid lockdowns of 2020 my daughter was working at a Physical Therapy clinic. While barber shops & beauty salons remained closed, while restaurants remained closed … the Physical Therapy clinic remained open.
Physical Therapy is a vital part of health care.
* Policemen and firefighters would often come in for physical therapy due to injuries sustained on the job.
* Many elderly patients came in for physical therapy following surgery. Physical therapy was vital for their recovery post-op. Following hip-replacement or knee replacement surgery, physical therapy was vital for regaining movement and being able to walk again!
* Many kids and teens came in for physical therapy due to sports injuries.
When it comes to life itself, life takes it out of us! And just like the patients coming into the Physical Therapy clinic never expected to be injured, injuries happen. We weren’t expecting it, but here it is.
Hateful things people say to us leave us emotionally “injured.” Hateful ways people take advantage of us and mistreat us leave us “injured” at a deep-down soul level! Our heart is torn and broken! We are crushed! Rejection by someone we care about deeply leaves us “injured”! Abandonment leaves us “injured”! Betrayal leaves us “injured”!
We don’t look “injured” on the surface. We put on a brave face and head out each day to face a new day at work. We continue to plow through life. While all the while we are “injured” deep down at our soul level. Something in our soul has been wretched and torn! We experience “sharp searing pain” any time we try to go there emotionally! We are hurting! The dull throbbing aching won’t go away! We feel as if we are barely functioning!
We need spiritual “physical therapy” at a soul level!
Or … perhaps we have had spiritual “surgery” performed on our soul.
* Perhaps we have a “cancer” of bitterness growing in our soul which God is taking his heavenly scalpel to.
* Perhaps we have had a life-enslaving addiction which has been slowly destroying us like cancer … which God has been doing some serious heaven-surgery on!
* Perhaps anger has been tearing our relationships to absolute shreds … and, just like rotator-cuff repair/replacement surgery, God has been doing “attitude-replacement” surgery on us.
* Perhaps anxiety, like a terrible dysfunctional knee-joint, has been causing a lot of pain in our life! … and God is doing some “anxiety-replacement surgery” on us, replacing the dysfunctional grinding with peace instead.
We need spiritual “physical therapy” at a soul level!
Perhaps you might have wondered at times: “Why Church?? What’s the point of going to church anyway??”
The Church is like … spiritual “physical therapy” for our soul!
That “injured” place in my soul … I need to be shown what to do about it! What exercises do I do at home to help heal this “injured” place in my soul?? How do I use my Bible (aka: my physical therapy stretchy resistance-band) to work on building back resistance of my soul in that area??
I need spiritual “physical therapy”!
That “injury” of rejection which hurts so bad … I need spiritual “physical therapy” to help me deal with the pain. And hopefully work that area so the pain is lessened.
That torn part of my heart which hurts so bad … I need spiritual “physical therapy” to help strengthen and rebuild that torn part of me.
This is Why Church! This right here is why we go to church!
My pastor opens up the Word of God and my soul is stretched … my soul is exercised … my soul is strengthened in that weak torn area! And my pastor’s words go with me into my new week, acting as “home exercises” as I go about my normal everyday activities.
That mid-week small group Bible study is like spiritual “physical therapy” for that anger, that anxiety, that fear, that bitterness which God is doing “soul-surgery” on. The corresponding small group Bible homework is like spiritual “physical therapy” home exercises to work on those areas.
That Recovery Group is like spiritual “physical therapy” for that life-enslaving addiction which God is doing “surgery” on. Those homework assignments are like spiritual “physical therapy” home exercises.
Church is where God’s Word is preached.
Church is where God’s Word meets us in our brokenness.
Church is where God’s Word meets us in our pain … and helps to heal that pain.
Church is where God meets with us! … and brings healing!
Church is where God meets with us! … and brings restoration!
