“Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.”
1 Kings 18:21
Kch, kch, kch.
To the stove, to put the pan on the burner.
Kch, kch, kch.
To the fridge to get eggs. Set eggs on counter. Kch. Sidestep. Move eggs along counter. Kch. Kch. Move eggs around the corner to the stove while balancing.
Kch, kch, kch, kch.
Back to get a plate. Balance plate. Moment of silence to contemplate how best to grip plate. Almost drop plate. Rebalance plate.
Kch, kch, kch, kch.
Break eggs into pan.
Kch, kch, kch, kch, kch. Grab fork.
Kch, kch, kch.
Flip eggs. Plate eggs. Place plate on counter. Hobble around counter (kch, kch, kch) to other side of counter. Place body between counter and table. Grab eggs with left hand, balance. Swap eggs to right hand, balance. Place plate on table.
Kch, kch, kch.
Sit. Ah, breakfast.
Drat.
Forgotten fork whistles from the far side of the counter. He is enjoying the game immensely.
Me: contemplates eating eggs like a barbarian.
Also me: kch, kch, kch. Retrieves fork.
Also me: eats cold eggs. But the dignity of the fork will hold me until lunch.
Ah, life as a Hobbler.
A broken ankle will do that.
Things take much more time than they used to. I don’t remember weighing each trip so carefully. Do I really need a drink? While I’m up is there anything else I should do? If there was a way to map or track the hobbles around the kitchen on my crutches, it would resemble a snarled ball of wire. I can only carry one thing at a time, and then, only certain things lend themselves well to being carried while retaining a firm grip on a crutch.
Not the most efficient means of transport.
A slow, awkward business, this.
Enter the scooter.
It has a bench on which to kneel, raising the injured foot off the floor. I can push with my good leg and voila! Forward motion! Smooth. Focused. Quick.
And it has a basket.
A basket!
I can fill my basket and be in the next room before you can shake a crutch.
We had a great discussion in our adult Sunday School class yesterday at church. We are studying the life of the prophet Elijah. In this particular story, Elijah asks the people who they are going to serve – God or Baal, the god of weather from Phonecia. And this verse really struck me.
“How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions?”
One version even used the term ‘limping’.
Fresh off my cold breakfast, I’m contemplating. Hobbling is so very awkward. It takes so much time and energy. In fact it is exhausting.
What would happen if I got on my mobility scooter spiritually, so to speak?
Took everything I needed and went for it? Straight and solid and steady forward progress, straight to the feet of Jesus?
None of this back and forth wobbling, tentative backtracking and retracing and awkward clutching.
Just face to the sun (Son?) and all forward momentum.
Perhaps I need to cut things out that are becoming a hindrance. Perhaps I need to add things to help me retain my focus and momentum. Perhaps I need to simplify, to reset, to make a game plan for forward motion.
And I have time at the moment to do just that.
Reassess your priorities with me?
Father, thank You for this time of learning about hobbling. It helps me see the parallels to Elijah’s call to simplify and choose You over everything else. Help us to focus and channel all of our energy toward seeking and serving You. Amen.
Growing in Grace 