The Work of Healing
Yesterday I had carpal tunnel surgery, so I’m feeling a little sore today. 🩹
This surgery was a long time coming. I’d been experiencing symptoms for more than a decade, but over the last two years they became significantly worse as the fingers on my right hand grew increasingly numb. I did the exercises. I wore the brace. Those things helped for a while, but eventually they weren’t enough, and I knew it was time to take the next step toward healing.
Living with carpal tunnel was more than an inconvenience. It slowly took away the things I love most—writing, playing music, painting, gardening, and so many of the creative pursuits that bring me joy. I could only do them for short periods before the pain and numbness forced me to stop. Eventually, I had to set many of them aside altogether. You can only live around a wound for so long before you realize it needs to be addressed.
If you know me, you know I hate going to the doctor. I hate needles, and I especially hate the idea of being cut open. But sometimes healing asks us to face the very thing we’d rather avoid. Eventually, my desire to be well became greater than my fear of what healing required.
Compared to many surgeries, this was a minor procedure, but it still required courage. Being awake through it made me anxious, yet God faithfully gave me the strength I needed for every moment. Now I’m on the other side, and for the first time in a long time, I have hope—not just for relief, but for restoration.
The recovery isn’t over. Healing still takes time. But there’s a profound difference between simply managing symptoms and allowing the deeper work to be done. Lasting healing often begins where temporary fixes finally come to an end.
Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is stop settling for what merely helps us cope and choose what truly heals. 🩵
