Post Zion

After Zion, however, things went a little downhill. So we were camping Thursday through Saturday. Saturday night, while we were watching a movie in the grass outside our apartment, my back started feeling really awful (laying on the grass again, after 2 nights of sleeping on rocks). I went to bed, hoping to get a good night's rest on my real bed and feel better in the morning. The plan was to leave for California right after church.

It was not to be.

I woke up Sunday barely able to move. My lower back was in the most extreme pain it has been since high school (I have had lots of back issues off and on since 11th grade). Ben gave me a blessing at about 6 in the morning, then we went back to sleep for a bit. I woke up again, still barely able to move. But I forced myself up and got ready for church. I just KNEW that if I made it to church, God would bless me and we could still go to California.

Nope.

We barely made it through the sacrament, then we left. I could hardly walk, and had to lean on him to support myself. Getting in and out of the car was a nightmare too. But we managed to get home, then I just laid back on the bed and slept/cried the rest of the morning. Getting to California was nowhere in my mind. I wanted to have faith that we could go, but it seemed less likely by the minute.

Backtrack.

This is why the idea of not going to CA was so devastating: when we planned it, we really felt like it was something we should do. We felt like we were guided to the vacation plans we ended up with, and we were really excited about it. We needed a getaway from life. From school. From people. And get as far away from home as possible with the amount of money we felt reasonable. THAT is why not going killed me.

Anyway,
I ended up texting my chiropractor (he gives his patients his cell number in case of emergencies) and asked him if I could have an emergency appointment as early as possible on Monday. Miracle: he actually invited me to his house and adjusted me and helped me stretch for about 40 minutes. Talk about the rare doctor who really cares about helping you get better. Talk about God watching over me. I was reminded that on this earth, we all act as the hands of God.

Despite the adjustment and stretching, I was still in a significant amount of pain, and we weren't sure if we would be able to go to CA. But we hoped and prayed that I would be good enough to go.

Monday morning, I woke up still stiff and hurting, but not nearly as bad. I went to the chiropractor to get adjusted, then we went home, unsure of what to do. Logic told me that I should not even attempt to sit in the 10 hour car ride to Anaheim. But my heart told me that we really needed to go.

So we prayed.

We really poured our hearts out and, in the end, felt like going to CA was the right thing. That was another testament to me that God hears my prayers. Of course, this could all have happened differently. The answer could have been no, and that would have been hard. Or we may not have been able to determine the answer, as has happened to me many times. But we felt like we should go. So we went. And that trip is going to be in the next post :)

All this really made me think. For whatever reason, God did not want us to go on Sunday. Maybe we would have gotten in a really bad accident or something. Or maybe it was just a little trial of faith and patience to see what we would do. No matter what, I know that God is there. He is watching over us. He hears and answers our prayers on HIS TIMELINE. My back is not perfect now. Nor has it been perfect for a very long time. But I know there is a reason for this and that when I have set-backs, I shouldn't mope around whining or crying because once again, I am suffering some cruel punishment. No, God is blessing me to learn and grow through this trial. And through it all, He gives me little miracles and tender mercies that show His love. Such as being able to hike for 8ish hours in Zion. And being able to withstand a 10-hour car-ride to California when the day before, I could barely walk or sit through church. Looking back, I learned a lot from that little (big) trial, and I know it was good, even though it was painful.