Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance
against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues
put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
—Colossians 3:12-14
NIV
I can still feel that pain in the center of my chest
every time I cough, sneeze, or pick up my grandbaby—even though the injury
occurred well over a month ago.
I was working on establishing a regular exercise routine,
which included daily low-impact aerobics. One day when my 4-year-old
granddaughter joined me in exercising, I found it difficult to keep from
stepping on her and quickly adjusted my footing, twisting my ankle in the
process. My podiatrist prescribed an anti-inflammatory and a period of rest—no
more aerobics. But upper-body exercise was not off limits.
That’s how I found myself in the kayak on a beautiful
afternoon in August. My friend, Michael, joined me, and we rented the
boats for an hour—an hour that passed all too quickly. Before we knew it, we
had overstayed our limit and had to hurry back to shore. I reached the launch
first, then turned around to see Michael way behind. I was worried about
getting out of the kayak and putting pressure on my injured foot. Although
Michael had assured me he would help, just sitting there waiting on him seemed
silly. With both hands, I gripped the sides of the boat and attempted to lift
my body. At that moment, something popped in the center of my chest, shooting
severe pain straight through me. Tears stung my eyes. I couldn’t move.