hip replacement
About 25 years ago I became aware of a problem with my hip. After a season of church league softball, my leg was hurting, so I did the typical male thing and ignored it. But after several weeks it was not getting better, so I broke down and made an appointment with my doctor. He twisted and turned my leg and said, “You have a sprain.” He treated me for my “sprain” for a couple of months before saying, “Oh, sorry. It’s not a sprain. You have damaged a ligament.” He treated my ligament for a few months and then decided to get an x-ray and see an orthopedics doctor.
When the doc threw the x-ray up on the screen, he knew exactly what the problem was. “No wonder your leg hurts. You had Perthes Disease when you were a kid.” This was news to me, but apparently when I was about five years old this disease attacked my right hip. It caused the ball that fits into the hip socket to get mushy. The doctor showed me how the ball, which is usually round, was more egg shaped. That made one leg longer than the other and put pressure on my left leg. He recommended that I wear a lift in my right shoe, but that I would probably need hip surgery before I was 50.
Well, I’m 65 now and still waiting for that hip replacement. Most of the time the hip doesn’t bother me, but as I get older it seems to ache a little more. As I was getting out of the chair a few weeks ago, my moans and groans prompted my wife to say, “Is it time to get that hip replacement?”
I thought it very well might be, so I made an appointment with an orthopedic specialist. I was a bit surprised when I was told I don’t need surgery…yet. The hip looks good, there is little evidence of arthritis, and I may not need surgery at all. He did diagnose a small tear in the cartilage surrounding the hip socket. He gave me some exercises to try and sent me on my way.
How did I get this tear in the cartilage? No clue. I don’t remember hurting myself, but at my age I get hurt climbing out of bed. For now, I’m grateful that I can put off the hip surgery until another time.
Jacob had a different kind of hip surgery in Genesis 32. While on his way to meet his brother Esau, he encountered an “angel” with whom he wrestled. The result was a dislocated hip and a new name, for from that time on his name was Israel. He also became a different person. He was a much nicer guy after his “hip surgery.”
Very often, the pain in our lives changes us. It gives us a chance to realize what is really important, to get our priorities in order, to humble us. Sometimes our suffering is arbitrary. It just hurts. But sometimes, God uses it to mold us into a better person.
