Spiritual Lessons From My Damaged Achilles Tendon About Limping to Destruction

As the fourth year closes of my work as a sidewalk counselor at the Southeast’s busiest abortion center, I rejoice in the near 500 babies saved from abortion at that clinic, but mourn the many who lost their lives. I have heard so many stories from so many men and women who stop to talk with us. They are often twisted and tangled rationalizations to help them feel better about a decision they know is wrong and they know God would not have them do. 

Friday, I spoke at length with a young couple who agreed with every point I made: the being inside their womb is a little human baby, the baby’s heart is already beating, they do believe in God, they agreed with the scriptures I shared that God would not have them do this and that God does indeed love the baby in the womb, this would harm the woman and likely the couple’s relationship, we could offer all kinds of help in every situation they named. 

Sounds like a slam dunk for them to turn away and go home, right?

“We understand and respect everything you are saying and doing,” the woman told me, “But I have an appointment. We are going to be late so I have to go now. I already made my choice.”

What? The choice for death made because she didn’t want to be late for her appointment and her mind was made up before she talked to me and agreed to every point for why she should not make the choice for death? What kind of tangled, twisted thinking is this!!!??

Later, I went on a long walk, replaying the discussion in my head. What more could I have said or done? The pain in my soul was almost as strong as the pain in my heel. Sadly I am ‘blessed’ with weak Achilles’ tendons.  When pregnant with my middle son, I completely severed my right Achilles tendon. I was in some sort of cast or boot for nearly a year. The doctor warned me that the left Achilles tendon could also snap at any time. It was a thin, tight strand and nearly always in some level of pain.

I have lived with this for the past 30 years without too much struggle, but in the past couple of months, it has become very painful, swollen, and tight. This is not wonderful. I love to walk and run, both of which strain the Achilles’ tendon. I gave up running to let it heal. It is a little better but not healed. I know therapy, rest, and perhaps surgery are in my future and none of that amuses me at all. 

So I googled: home remedies for Achilles tendon in deep doo-doo. I found a runners’ internet site whose headline made me leap  for joy (which incidentally, hurts a lot with an injured Achilles): Curing Achilles strain without surgery or giving up walking. (This is a paraphrase of the title but that was the gist of it.)

The article explained that with a swollen, painful Achilles, it is likely there are micro tears in the fibers. Left to their own devices, they might repair themselves but in a clumpy, tangled mess. However there are exercises the injured party (yours truly) can do that can straighten the tendon fibers as they heal. It is basically three sets of 15 eccentric stretches, or heel dips, and then toe raises twice daily for twelve weeks.  (Word to the wise: that really hurts when your Achilles is sore.) The article promised there would be pain (yippee!) though if excruciating pain is present, backing off is advised. And here is the best part, it is encouraged that the victim continue exercising, reducing if necessary to control pain.

As I am likely headed for surgery anyway, I decided to give this treatment a shot. The thought of giving up walking to let it heal was deeply depressing to my hyperactive spirit. This was a possible way out!

They were right about it hurting. The first day was really hard and the next day I was very sore, not so much in my achilles but in my calf muscles. Nonetheless, I persevered and by day three, my tendon was still sore and stiff after resting a while, but limbered up quickly and was pain-free on walks. If I went too fast or up a steep hill, there was pain, but otherwise, almost no pain while walking.

I am encouraged! While on a long walk yesterday, I realized that there is a spiritual parallel to my dilemma and to the women I work with as they struggle with the choice of abortion.

We all are broken in God’s eyes. All of us fall short of His glory and all of us stray from the straight and narrow path of Holiness. We all need healing. If left to our own devices, it is not likely we will heal straight and true to his Divine plan and design. Most of us will make gnarled messes of our lives. We may be able to keep walking, but only in pain with the promise of terrible consequences down the road.

But if we spend each day in the sometimes painful exercise of submitting to God’s direction regularly, something new and wonderful begins to evolve.  We may indeed experience suffering and pain in the process, especially as we exercise heretofore unused spiritual muscles. However, ultimately God will strengthen our walk, straighten our moral and spiritual path, and we will be healed.

Even the Bible explicitly supports the  little spiritual lesson my tangled and painful Achilles’ tendon was teaching me:

Proverbs 3:6 

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 

Hebrews 12:13 

And make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 

Could God be any clearer? Gives my painful achilles a whole new purpose and nobility, doesn’t it? 

And reminds me again of the discussions I have had for the past four years with the women who come to abort their children. Those who believe that they can muddle on with the same crippled attempts to manage their lives with tangled, twisted thinking based on the same world-view that brought them to this desperate place choose abortion. Those who realize their thoughts are NOT higher than God’s thoughts and they will never heal their lives walking a twisted, corrupted, tangled path of sin upon sin choose life.

Lord, my prayer is you will guide me and others to speak your truth in love to a world that is stumbling to destruction. Straighten our paths, make the lame walk with the strength and hope found only in you, and heal us, Lord.

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Please consider volunteering and/or donating to Cities4Life, a ministry devoted to helping change the path of destruction to a path of life.