I have continued to do well with my recovery from my back surgery 7 months ago and have been going to Physical Therapy once a week for the last 3 weeks.  I have been given 4 basic exercises to do: trunk extensions, modified hamstring stretches, bridges (a reverse crunch) and a strengthening exercise called “bird dogs”.  On this one you are down on all fours on the floor and you extend one arm straight out and extend the opposite leg straight back.  It looks strange and your wife laughs at you when you do it and says things like, “Good boy!  Sic’ em!”  I will be glad when I don’t have to do “bird dogs” anymore.

I am just about finished with my weekly Physical Therapy visits and also about ready to pronounce myself fully recovered.  Even though I use the term “fully recovered” I know I will still need to continue with the exercises, except maybe for the “bird dogs”.  My back, while it does not hurt and I have no aches and pains, is still a little stiff.  I am told it is due to the presence of some scar tissue from the incision and that it will take some time for the feeling of stiffness to totally go away.  All in all, I feel great and I know that increased flexibility will come with time and repetition of my back exercises.  I ran 3.5 miles this morning at a level 3 incline on the treadmill in only 30 minutes and my back felt great!  The Lord has really blessed me!

During my recovery process I have been pleased to be able receive and answer several emails that people have sent to me with specific questions they have about their own back pains or upcoming surgeries.  One theme that has been common in the emails I have received is that people have only heard the bad stories about back surgery.  It seems that there is a wealth of information online about problems people have but it is rare to hear the good stories.  I want to say that I know there are challenges and I know there are risks associated with every procedure, there are indeed some bad stories out there.  Problems can occur with any procedure.  Yes, there are bad stories.  But I want people to know that there are good stories out there too!  There are successful procedures and they far outnumber the bad stories.  It seems like in this world that the people who do the most proclaiming and telling of their stories are the ones that have problems.

I have felt from the beginning that it is important for me to tell my story – no matter how things turned out.  I had questions and found no place to tell me what to expect.  I want you to know that the Lord has blessed me greatly through the spinal fusion that I have had and He has kept His hand upon me during the recovery process.  My wife has had to remind me from time to time that it was not always “a walk among the roses”, but the truth is, even during the tough times, the Lord was with me every step of the way.  That has been my experience not just during my recovery from back surgery but ever since I entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  It has not always been “a walk among the roses”.  It has not always been “butterflies and rainbows”.  There have been good days and bad days.  But on all days the Lord has kept His promise, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Mine has been a good story.  Let me rephrase that…mine has been a great story!  The Lord has blessed me and watched over me.  He has always provided for me.  He has sent friends to encourage me when I have been down.  He has sent people to guide me when I have lost my way.  He has blessed me all of my days!  I don’t mind telling my story!  The bible says in Psalm 22:22

I will tell of Your name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.  Psalm 22:22

Oh, the Lord is good!  I love to tell my story because my Lord is worthy to receive glory and honor and praise.  He has done great and mighty things for me!  He has forgiven me of my sin, blessed me with a wonderful family and strengthened me for the challenges I face in life.  He has blessed me with a good story and a good story ought to be told.  I  hope you know that you can depend on Him to pick you up when you are feeling down.  I hope you know you depend on Him to lead you and guide you.  I hope you know that you can trust Jesus Christ with you story.  The bible says in Hebrews 12:2 that He is the “author and perfecter of our faith” for He is the “author of salvation”.  Let Him write a chapter of hope and salvation in your life.  Let Him write good story!

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