“stupid kidney stones” That was my husband’s Facebook post after being in bed a few days in agonizing pain. Looking for a quick fix and some pain medication, he went to the Emergency Room only to be told they were small enough to pass at home. He was instructed to drink a lot of water and wait for the stone(s) to pass. Two problems with that remedy: he didn’t like to drink water and he didn’t like waiting!
After a few days of watching him lie in bed in misery and miss work/church, I spent hours online researching ways to help the stone to pass. I knew he wasn’t drinking enough water, but hadn’t been successful in convincing him to drink more. I found several home remedies, the most common being Apple Cider Vinegar, Lemon Juice, Water, and Olive Oil. I was pretty proud of myself when I came home 2 hours (and $80) later with bags of those items along with a few bottles of vitamin/herbal combinations and a box of “kidney health” tea. He didn’t share my enthusiasm, and instead complained about the taste, complained about the amount of water, complained about anything and everything I offered to prepare for him. He WAS willing to take pills, or so he said. One of the pills was to be taken 4 times per day, but he did good to take them once or twice.
Days later, we revisited the Emergency Room. The nurse asked if he was drinking a lot of water, and of course he proudly answered “Yes”. The nurse then asked, “are you urinating at least once an hour?” The answer was no. The nurse’s reply: “Then you’re not drinking enough water.” DejaVu, I could’ve sworn that conversation had taken place daily in my house for the past week. Bottom line was that he didn’t want to drink the natural remedy to pass the stone because it wasn’t pleasant to drink. And although he had admitted that he wasn’t drinking at least 10 glasses of water per day, when it was suggested to increase his water consumption, he’d reply: “I AM drinking water…I’m drinking tons of water.”
He was in unbearable pain, was utterly homebound for almost a week, and wanted desperately to pass the kidney stone. But it was irritating, inconvenient, distasteful, unpleasant, and frustrating to intake what was necessary to get the desired output. He wanted a “quick fix”.
How often we live our lives like that. We deeply desire a specific outcome, but refuse to put in the required the time, energy, sacrifice, and exertion. We live in this culture of “give me, give me, give me”, but we don’t necessarily want to put forth the sacrifice necessary to achieve those things. The Bible addresses this attitude in Proverbs 12:11, “Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.” It makes no sense to expect output without the input!
I’ve reached an age where I drink (several cups of) coffee to get me going in the morning. I know when I put the coffee and water in the coffee pot (and turn it on), I will later be able to pour coffee into my cup. Simple enough. If only it were that easy in life!
Romans 8:13 says “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Yet in life, I find myself trying to accomplish spiritual objectives in the flesh.
Of course, this isn’t something unique to me. We all struggle with living in the flesh, and often don’t even understand why we do what we do. Our inward man wants to please God. We long for a relationship with Him. We crave His love, His approval, and His affection. Yet our outward actions don’t always line up. We slack in our prayer time, leave our Bibles unopened, miss church, forget to tithe, and then find ourselves caught up in gossip, resentment, bitterness, hopelessness, and discouragement. As Christians, we desire to “pour out”. Yet how often do we try pouring from an empty vessel?
“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:15-25)
Quite often, we want a quick fix in our spiritual lives. In a sense, we want the coffee maker to produce coffee without the effort of filling it up each morning. We carry our own burdens, we don’t want to admit that we can’t handle or “fix” our overwhelmed, exhausted, lonely, and burdened condition. We want the Lord to miraculously deliver the desired outcome without our own willingness to let go of the pain and dysfunctions of life. How frustrating God must find this. How patient and merciful He is!
In Jeremiah 8:22, he asks: “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?” The Amplified Bible goes on to add: [Because Zion no longer enjoyed the presence of the Great Physician] Ouch! God forbid we allow ourselves to become so dry that we no longer enjoy the presence of the Great Physician! This Great Physician works 24/7, and is even willing to make house calls.
All I have to do is fill my vessel, oil my parched soul with the Balm of Gilead…and enjoy the presence of the Great Physician.
The Beauty of Being Still and Letting Go 