My first waking thought this morning was, “Oh no. Was that my popping sound from my shoulder?” Sharp pain pinned me to the bed and I struggled to find a way to maneuver my body toward relief. As I got myself into a standing position, my upper body was trembling and I broke into a cold sweat. Something was not right.

As I took slow baby steps toward my cell phone (which is basically my phone directory) my mind spun through my Rolodex of contacts. Who had mentioned a chiropractor lately? Debbie, for one. Jackie was another. I quickly started making phone calls, and scheduled a chiropractic appointment for one hour later.

Visiting a chiropractor has not been on any of my ‘to do’ lists for the past three or four years. Yet with one sharp stab, it hijacked my every plan for this particular morning, and for my life in general. I needed to see a chiropractor.

Sometimes, when I run into a friend I haven’t seen for years in the grocery store, or a neighbor at the library, I wonder if it’s worth peppering the conversation with talk about Jesus. I think, “Should I mention my Lord?” Many people, quite frankly, would rather I not.

But I’m thinking about the morning one of my friends wakes up with stabbing pain–not the kind that can be fixed by a chiropractor; the kind that can only be settled in Jesus Christ. If, suddenly, Jesus Christ suddenly captures the #1 place on my friend’s priority list, and they quietly rolodex their way through the people who have mentioned Christ–people who have a personal connection with Jesus and can make recommendations–I want to be one of the names that comes to mind.

Pain is often a gift. Without it, we’d never go to the doctor who can adjust our spine. Nor would we go to the great Physician who can adjust our hearts and heal our souls.