posted by Adar Kielczewski

I like to exercise about three times a week. Sometimes I get more in than that, sometimes I get less. I was recently fired up to do a really challenging workout. Like at the beginning of most workouts, I started warming up.

Today I’ll start with pull-ups, I thought. So I excitedly jumped up to grab the bar. Now I’m not very good at pull-ups, and I can really only do chin-ups, but I’ve been getting better. I used to not be able to do any, but now, with a small jump, I can pull myself up.

There’s a type of pull-ups called “kipping” pull-ups. The difference between these and regular “dead hang” pull-ups is the momentum created by swinging one’s hips. This momentum makes the pull-up easier. I was trying to learn to kip. I barely got started when ….

SMACK! I landed flat on my back. It happened so fast I didn’t even have time to put an arm out to catch myself. I didn’t even realize I had lost my grip. But there I was lying on my back in quite a bit of pain. I got up, brushed myself off and took a hot shower.

The next couple days were a little difficult at times. My right arm would tingle and go numb. At times there was a shooting pain in my back. If I turned my head too fast to one side, it would ache down my shoulder and arm.

I started thinking about what happened. Miraculously I didn’t hit my head or my tailbone when I landed. The only part of me that was in any pain was my shoulder and my arm at times. I didn’t break any bones. I had some sore muscles and pinched nerves, but it really wasn’t a bad injury.

Then I realized how blessed I was and am. There are many people older than I am that have chronic pain. Day in and day out, they battle the effects of old injuries, arthritis, cancer, degenerative diseases, heart problems, etc. They fight to have a positive attitude when their bodies cry out in protest from simple, daily activities.

I was so thankful that God designed the body the way He did—to heal from injury. I thought of all the many times I’ve fallen, stubbed my toe, twisted my ankle, got cleated in soccer, scraped my knee, pulled my hamstring, burned my arm, cut my finger and endured the bruises that come from life at times. Miraculously, unless the injury is recent, there is little or no sign of any of those injuries. The body was created to be this self-contained, self-repairing marvel.

And so with one injury came a newfound respect. A respect for all those who wake up with pain, live with pain, sleep with pain because of age, disease or other malady. A respect for the body God designed. And a renewed respect for safety.