Maybe We Need to Embrace the Pain

 Ankylosing Spondylitis causes my muscles to "gel" or harden when I am immobile. This causes a great deal of pain and stiffness in my muscles when I'm sleeping or sitting for long periods of time. It affects my sleep and my overall pain level tremendously.  I've tried everything to help with this issue but nothing has made much of a diffrence.  Recently, I began seeing the most amazing massage therapist. I've had massages in the past and they felt really good but they didn't really help my pain. Apparently, my new massage therapist knows what she is doing! After seeing just her a few times, I've noticed that my body feels more loose. My body is always clenched up because of the pain I'm in, but the past few weeks, I can tell that some of that tension and clenching has released.

At my appointment today, she continued with trigger point massage therapy. She feels the "knot" in my muscle and applies a lot of pressure. Somtimes it hurts, terribly. But then she says, "Tell me when it releases." So, I just allow myself to feel the pain and I slowly feel it subside. When I tell her it has released, she applies more pressure and the pain comes right back. We continue with this process until she can press on the spot and there is no pain. Somehow, she is able to work on different spots of my back and neck and cause my entire back and arms to actually relax, which hasn't seemed possible in years.

These trigger points are common with chronic pain conditions such as AS. They also cause pain to raidate to other places in the body. Having these trigger points released has reduced pain in more places than just the spot she is massaging. I feel relief all over.

Today, as I laid on her table, I started to wonder--what if I embraced the pain of life the way I'm learning to embrace the pain of this type of massage. This massage is not one of those feel good, relaxation massages. It's hard. It's painful. It's intense. But, it's also worth it. After each of these sessions, my body is more relaxed, I am more flexible, and I am able to sleep better. I wouldn't feel those improvements if I didn't endure the painful therapy sessions. 

It's normal for us to want to run away from painful situations and hide from things that make us uncomfortable. But what if we decided to embrace those situations? It won't be easy and it won't be pleasant, but in many cases, it will be worth it. 

James 1:12 "Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."

Today I am thankful for the reminder that God is working through those difficult, painful moments in our lives. As my massage therapist squeezed and pressed on those trigger points and I noticed that pain subsiding, I couldn't help but feel gratitude for all the times God has used the painful situations of my life to improve my life. Nothing is wasted with our God, not even our pain.

Tori