Crippled

Except for poor eyesight and bad teeth God has blessed me with very good health my entire life. For many years I have done a level of exercise. More recently this has become a 5.5 mile ( 9 kilometer) walk which includes a steep hill about five times weekly. Due to overseas travel and a lack of control of my schedule I have not been able to maintain this beginning in February. For about a year i have had minor, intermittent discomfort in an area just below my left knee but this has never impeded me from normal activity. On Thursday walked three miles on mostly level ground, my third opportunity in six days as i try to work back to my usual routine. Although there was some discomfort going down our long, steep driveway I completed this walk without difficulty. this was in the morning. Within two hours there was so much pain in that area that i could no longer walk but only hobble very slowly. It was very difficult to find any position where the area did not produce pain. Even during the night there was pain. The next morning I was crippled. Made an appointment to see a doctor and got in about noon. He prescribed anti-inflammatory and pain meds. Went to the pharmacy, returned home and began the regimen. Pain persisted throughout the day. Finally during the night as i was sleeping it subsided, and today I have only 10% of the pain I experienced yesterday. Had it been semi-permanent or permanent I would have had to use crutches and a wheelchair. While I understand that these bodies are not meant to last, it is striking how quickly I went from a relatively vigorous individual to a cripple who could not even walk around my bedroom. This does give me a better understanding and, hopefully, compassion for those who live in pain or are not ambulatory. New memory verses for today are Psalm 91:1-2. "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall dwell under the shadow of the Almighty. The Lord is my fortress and my refuge, my God in whom I will trust." May I trust You fully, Lord, no matter what happens.