JUNE 2017
By Christie Bourg
The Inversion Conversion
I ’ ve suffered from back pain for several years , and at times it ’ s been brutal . I have permanent numbness and nerve damage , and have even lost the use of my right leg for about a month . So now I take care of my back the best way I can . I visit my chiropractor regularly and stretch often throughout the workday . I recently decided to add one more element to my back care - an inversion table .
An inversion table allows the user to tilt backwards at an inverted angle while hanging by the ankles ( think Count Dracula ). This allows the spine to decompress and takes pressure off the back . The user can control both the angle of the tilt and speed of movement by raising and lowering the arms .
I was thrilled when my inversion table arrived , but I knew I would have to get over one of my biggest fears : being upside down . Although I knew that the table was very sturdy and that I had read all of the safety information , I was very anxious about tilting backwards and hanging by my ankles . Could I trust the table ? Could I trust myself ?
I forced myself to clear my mind and get rid of the negative thoughts that were swimming around my mind . I closed my eyes and slowly leaned back a little at a time . With each try , I leaned back farther and farther . Before long I could lean all the way back and touch the ground with my hands ! I just had to learn to trust myself .
God is kinda like an inversion table . He is very strong and sturdy and supports us even when we are in the most vulnerable positions . Sometimes it may feel like He is turning our lives upside-down , but we are better for it in the end . And like an inversion table , the “ upside-down ” part can be very scary !
I thought about this one day while using my table . Do I trust God ? The Creator of all things , whose love for me is incomprehensible ? Who suffered and died for me ? DO I ? I ’ d like to believe that I do trust God , without any hesitation . But just like going backwards on my inversion table , God ’ s plans for me can sometimes be scary ! I feel like I ’ m falling backwards into the unknown and have no control . I ’ m moving in an unfamiliar direction ,
whether I like it or not , and I don ’ t know where I ’ m going !
A few years ago I was in my doctor ’ s office in excruciating back pain . I was forced to stand the entire time because sitting was unbearable . I remember standing there with my hand on a chair , when suddenly I felt myself falling down , right onto the floor . I was stunned . I tried to push myself up but was unable to . I had lost the use of my right leg , and I was mortified .
A million thoughts ran through my mind . What caused this ? Will my other leg become paralyzed , too ? Is this permanent ? All I could do was cry . I had to be pushed out of the doctor ’ s office in a wheel chair and laid down in the back seat of the car . My life had been turned upside-down . At the time I didn ’ t realize that this was a perfect time to learn to trust God .
After going through a battery of tests and procedures , I was finally diagnosed with a herniated disc . The cure ? Surgery . This was about as far backward as I had ever “ leaned back ” in life .
Instead of focusing on the “ whatifs ,” I focused on prayer and trusting God . It was not easy to submit and give in to His will .
Knowing that I am His child made me think of my own children . I ask them to put their trust in me , and to accept that , if it were in my power , I would never allow anything to hurt them . I would gladly suffer in their place and would always be behind them to support them , or to catch them if they fall .
Wait ... did I say “ catch them ?” Yes , I did . Knowing how deep my love for my children are , and how much I would be willing to sacrifice for them , I can ’ t even fathom how much more God is there to catch me if I fall !
Now when I get on my inversion table , I take a deep breath and slowly lean backwards with my eyes closed , picturing God standing right behind me , ready to catch me if I fall . It ’ s getting easier and easier each time .
Are you having any trust issues with God ? Scared to trust Him with issues of family , money , health , or work ? Remember ... He ’ s got your back .
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