PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS  FROM THE HEARTLAND

January 8, 2023

STAND UP STRAIGHT

Ever since I can remember people have been telling me to “Stand up straight.”  After eighty years I am reaping the consequences of not taking this advice more seriously.  For several months I have been having pains in my arms, especially my right arm.  My family physician recommended that I have therapy to address the problem.  After a number of sessions, I have come to the conclusion that I could have avoided my issues if I had just stood up straight with my head back.

I have been assured that I should have some relief from my problems after several months.  However, it will take longer to show significant results.  They will come if I continue to do daily exercises after I have stopped going for therapy.  In addition, it is important that I constantly remind myself to “Stand Up Straight.”

One of the difficulties with doing daily exercises is doing them correctly.  An advantage of going for therapy is that there is a person who can tell me when I am doing a particular exercise incorrectly.  When I am doing my exercises at home, my wife can tell me when I am not standing up straight.  The Book of Ecclesiastes says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.  For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).”

At least a couple of times when I am doing therapy my therapist will tell me not to move my shoulder.  She explained that my body is programmed to act in certain ways and when I am doing the exercise, my body is programmed to respond in a certain way. Paul in his letter to the Romans tells his readers to be transformed by the renewal of their minds (Romans 12:2b)  In my case, I need to be transformed by the renewal of my body.

In Psalm 121 we read, “I lift up my eyes to the hills – from where will my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 121:1-2),”  When the Psalmist lifts up his eyes in Psalm 8 he sees the heavens, the work of the Lord’s fingers, “the moon and the stars that (the Lord) has established(Psalm 8:3b).”  For the Psalmist the lifting of one’s eyes gives one a new perspective that points toward the creator of the universe.

I have found when I focus on standing up straight I also lift up my eyes.  And in so doing I have a new perspective of my surroundings.  Poor posture tends to make me look down on a very limited percentage of my surroundings.  Such a perspective can become very depressing.  In contract when I stand up straight I can take in the breadth and depth of my surroundings.  I have found this fills me with a sense of awe, wonderment, and joy.

The advice I heard when I was growing up still rings true today: stand up straight.  Standing up straight helps prevent physical problems and provides an uplifting perspective on life.  As with much of life, it is very hard to achieve the goal of standing up straight in isolation.  By ourselves it is almost impossible to be sure that we are correctly standing up straight.  Another set of eyes can help us to see where we are falling short .