I’m going to be smarter this time. I’m not going to start back to playing sports until I’m fully healed.

Someone mentioned to me recently that I should act my age. I thought I was … but maybe when it comes to sports I still think like I did when I was in my 40’s.

I shouldn’t be treating my body that way. 

Zedano Chara, of the Boston Bruins, is playing in the NHL playoffs with a broken jaw. But, hey, he’s only 42. I did that kind of stuff when I was 42 as well. But I shouldn’t be thinking I can still do that stuff now at my age. 

I have lived with a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in my left knee for about 35 years.  

I still play sports because I have a custom-made brace that has worked amazingly for me. In fact, I’m on my second brace. I had my knee scoped 27 years ago and have had my second brace about as long as my first one. 

It may need to be replaced soon. … I’ve been thinking more about that since my knee has been bothering me this last month. 

I’ve notice over the last few years that after a game of hockey my knee feels a little unstable. So now I don’t play two days in a row. 

It got sore several weeks ago and I’ve kind of been both resting it and playing through it – going mountain biking.

Soon afterwards I was going over my sermon before I preached and noticed that, after standing still, my knee wouldn’t bend easily. I was walking on the platform like Frankenstein. 

To not scare any of my congregants away, I drove home and put on my brace. My knee felt more secure and I moved better. I did that for two weeks. 

This past Sunday I didn’t need my brace. I thought my knee was pretty much better and it was … not 100% but mostly better. 

Well, I played hockey on Tuesday and the next day was wearing my brace to work. The knee was swollen and sore again. 

Back in my 40’s I could have gotten away with playing. But I can’t any more. 

I need to be a little smarter and, for me, that means I need to be a little more patient and wait until it feels completely better – not just mostly.

When we were kids and would scrape our knees, our mom would give our knees a kiss and say, “It’s all better now.” 

Somehow, though there was still some pain, and the red lines of the scrape were still visible, we believed our mom. Her words were comforting enough to get us out playing again. 

But for me, now, I need to be smarter with my body and give the healing process a little more time. 

Here’s the thing: Sometimes I think that God must wonder if I will ever get smarter with Him. I go to Him with the same confessions, same requests, same needs. It’s like I’m not getting any smarter. I fall to the same temptations, the same inner pressures, when what I should be doing at this stage in my life is depending on the Holy Spirit’s power more. That’s what being smarter with God is all about.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How could you depend on the Holy Spirit more this week? Leave your comments below.