Unexpected pain relief

"Your hand presses me down"

Psalm 38:2

Remember that camping trip we went on?  A lovely time was had by all.

And remember the drive up there?  All those beautiful almond trees and stalks of corn and grapevines.  Beautiful.

Well, the problem with that beautiful drive to the campground was that our altitude changed significantly from Point A to Point B.  At home, we are about 400 feet above sea level.  At the peak of our drive, we were about 6,000 feet above sea level, and at our destination, about 4,000.  And my inner ears don't like the change, let me tell you.  When we go on plane trips, I suck on hard candies like I'm getting paid for it.  And sometimes even that doesn't work. 

But the other thing about altitude change for me, is the headache.  Although I try to increase my water intake, it's not uncommon for me to get a pretty good-sized headache when arriving at a new altitude.  And that was the case with camping.  We arrived a little after lunchtime, unpacked and set up camp, and by dinner I realized my head was hurting pretty bad.  After dinner we went on a nature drive with friends, and by the time we were in the middle of that, my head was pounding.  I took a couple of pain relievers, but they were not relieving my pain. 

So I tried something a friend once recommended to me.  Acupressure.  I used my right hand to pinch my left hand, way up where my thumb bone and index finger bone come together.  I've tried before, but only with limited success, because I've never really had anyone show me how; I've only read about it.  So in the past I've only been able to dull the headache a little, and then as soon as I let go, the pain comes back. 

But this time, I found the exact right spot on my hand.  I pressed for a few seconds, and my headache dissipated to almost nothing.  And about half an hour later, it was gone completely.  I was so relieved ~ literally.

I was also fascinated. I've heard about acupressure before, but I sure don't understand it.  How can pressure so far away from the pain site have an effect?  The human body is amazing, isn't it?

And so is God.  Because that's exactly what He does.  He sees something in us that He needs to grow, and He does that in a way that doesn't make any sense to us at all.  Remember the movie Karate Kid?  The kid just thought he was waxing the car, but he was learning the moves he would need later on.  He didn't understand the long-term, seemingly unrelated goal of his sensei.

Our sight is so limited.  We understand so little of what He is doing in us when we turn our lives over to Him.  And if you're going through something difficult or frustrating, maybe it's because He's honing a part of you that you're not even aware of.  Be patient and trusting.  He knows just the spot to press.

~ "Bless the Lord, O my soul...

who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from destruction

who crowns you with lovingkindness" ~

Psalm 103:2,3,4