I have been wearing my back brace now for 2 months and have at least 4 more months to go.  It is like a big girdle that extends from about 4 inches below the belt line in the back to just below the sternum in front.  The material contains a hard plastic piece in front and a larger piece in back which extends up and around over my ribs.  My wife calls is my turtle shell.  I gird it up fairly tight to get sufficient support while my lower back is still recovering from the surgery.  Usually I wear a T-shirt under the brace and then some large shirt (like a Hawaiian shirt) over the brace when I go to work.  I have some nice ones that are solid colors that I wear on Sundays.  Some people have not known that I have the brace on until they have just seen me in a T-shirt with the brace.  One fellow saw the brace and said, “Oh, you are wearing a brace today.”  I told him I wore it every day and he said, “Oh, I just thought you had been gaining some weight since the surgery.”  I guess it is not always apparent to others what we have supporting us or “girding us” for the situations we face in life.  King David speaks about the Lord in Psalm 18:39 saying “Thou hast girded me with strength for battle”.

 I know that sometimes people don’t see the Lord girding us or supporting us.  Sometimes they don’t see it because we are quiet about our faith and it goes unnoticed. Other times they don’t see it because we forgot to wrap up tightly in Him on that day.  Some stress or struggle hits us and we react out of emotion or we react out of our flesh.  We can get upset and lose control and sometimes do and say some things that would make others think we don’t have any control at all.  I think if we are all honest we can all relate to that and would have to admit that we have all been there at one time or another.

We need to remember that the Lord has girded us for strength.  He has fitted us for patience and self-control.  He wants to support us and take care of us in and through every situation.  We need to do what Paul says in Colossians 3:12 “as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”  And I believe we need to wrap it on tight!  Cause some days that brace wants to slip off!

Well, I hope that you have a good week.  I hope that you are not faced with any stress and struggles. But if you are, I hope that you have been braced and supported by the Lord.  Until next time, stay strong and Keep the faith.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com