Physical Therapy and Eternity

Several weeks ago I was diagnosed with degenerative disks in the neck with just a little arthritis to boot. My doctor said, "If you don't want to be a young crippled man, then I suggest physical therapy." So...he wrote me a prescription and off I went with my pain in the neck. I don't particularly like going to the doctor. I don't mind doctors, so much, but I do mind the co-pays, the insurance system that sucks my resources dry and the all the hoop-la I have to endure every single time I go to the doctor - that I DON'T like! Anyway, after putting off this physical therapy thing for as long as possible I finally gave up the fight and went this morning.

I went with great fear because I thought I would end up with some big, ugly woman with a thicker mustache than mine. Thank goodness that didn't happen and Bertha never materialized. I ended up with a very nice therapist who helped me greatly. He went through the whole evaluation thing and we talked about my aches and pains. It seemed to take a very long time to do all of that, but it was only a few minutes. He pushed and pulled on my neck and several times I thought he was going to kill me. Of course, while all of that was going on he was carrying on a polite conversation with me about polite topics. It seemed to take a long time, but it really was only a few minutes.

Once he had finished with the pushing and pulling I found myself alone in an evaluation room waiting for the therapist to return. It seemed like a really long time, but it really was only a few minutes. He emerged from the door with a piece of paper explaining all of the new exercises I am supposed to do in order to strengthen my neck. He went over them with me and we tried a few. Again, this seemed to go on forever, but it was really only a few minutes. He finished the exercise thing and I thought I was done and that I would be on my merry way and that's when he told me what we were going to do, today. He said, "I think your neck muscles are too tense and with some electric stimulation we can fix that." He went on, "something something something something something something something mild electric impluse." That part was the only part that went by fast - too fast! I still don't know what he said.

So....he takes me out to this curtained room that is opened to the main exercise floor. He starts "hookin' me up" and I notice an older gentleman who is obviously watching me with a sly grin on his face. He was working on his shoulder. Apparently, he had had some type of shoulder surgery and was in his rehabilitation phase of recovery. The whole time my therapist is "hookin' me up" the older guy is just watching and gawking. I'm sure it wasn't that long. It was probably only a few minutes, but it seemed like a long time. I finally asked the old guy if he had done this kind of thing before - the kind of thing I was about to go through. He smiled that sly smile and said with an all-knowing and condescending smile, "Yes. I know all 'bout that thing you gettin' ready to do. And in just a few minutes, you'll know all about it too!"

As soon as the guy started the thing I knew I was in trouble. He said you could set it at 30. 30 what, I don't know. He said you could go as high as 30. I made it to 12. Once he got me "hooked up" and made sure I was shooting fire from my mouth he set a timer for 15 minutes. For 15 solid minutes I had 12 whatevers running through my body and let me tell you...even though it was only 15 minutes, it seemed like a very long time. Eternity works a little bit like that. We think we have an idea about eternity, but the truth is that our eternity has already begun. Some of it we've wasted. Some of it we've invested. Some of it we've squandered. Some of it has yet to be, but the most of it is yet to come.

The next time you're dragging around and time seems to crawl along remember that you are already burning eternity. I'm sure it doesn't seem like it, but you are. Everyone will live forever. The question is, "Where will you live forever?" I don't know about you, but as for me, I'm to that place where there is no electronic equipment that I can be hooked up to. I'm going to be with the Lord. You can too if you come to Jesus. I hope you'll consider coming to Jesus, today. Feel free to contact me if you'd like to know more about Jesus. I'm sure it seems like it would take you a long time to talk with me about Jesus, but it really wouldn't take that long. Just a few minutes....