Avoiding Unnecessary Pain….

For several days, my daughter had complained of blisters as a result of her cross-country training. I provided the Band-Aids, the Neosporin, and the pep talk but let my 8th grader take care of her toes. Then one day she got in the car barefoot after practice and I saw the severity of her concern. A high pain tolerance has its pros and cons. 

OF COURSE, she had a race the next day. I did the only thing I knew to do with less than 24 hours before her next event. I took her to our local Fleet Feet, trusting someone there could give this non-runner mom some help. As we began to explain the issues to the staff assisting us, it became very evident that this situation was easily avoidable. Who knew that you should not run in cotton socks? Or take a cost conscious 13 year old's word that her shoes from last year still fit. Oh, and there is a product made to coat the toes to avoid blisters. There were many easy ways to avoid our current reality, if only we had asked some questions. We left the store with the right equipment and a plan. As I reflected on the experience, I realized this is where many of us get entangled. We are on this journey called life and we come across a new situation and we just move forward assuming that we can figure it out along the way. From being a new wife, or a new mom, or a new student, or a new Christian… or even an old pro with just a new set of circumstances…we forget to ask questions.We all roll our eyes about a man refusing to stop and ask for directions, but women are just as guilty. Is it pride? Busyness? Both? Annika and I finally stopped and asked for directions out of necessity. The pain was catching up to Annika in such a way that she would be unable to run if we did not do something to stop the friction producing the blisters.

What about you?  Where is there continual friction in your life?  Who around you might already be knowledgeable in the area you are struggling?  The next day, I spoke to 2 runners who told me the exact same things I had learned the day before. I could have asked almost any skilled runner and received the help I had needed, if I had just asked.The beauty of this life is that there is not a single situation that someone has not already walked through… yes, even yours! God designed us to be in community. As Christians, we need each other. He instructed us to be both teachers and students. We should learn from those who are ahead of us and teach those who are a little farther behind. Think about where you are continually feeling friction. Ask God to lead you to the person who can give you wisdom to navigate the journey with a better plan. Where do you need someone else’s experience to help you?