Rogue State of Heart

I am amazed at the way God designed us to be connected. It is everywhere. It’s instinctual; it’s intrinsic to who we are.

A few months back, I went to my chiropractor because I was having some leg tingling and numbness caused by some back issues. We were still in the discovery mode at the time of just what exactly it was (we learned later a herniated disk was to blame), and how serious it was.

In the office, a neuro-technician checked me out with all kinds of wires, plugs, and sensors. I laid on the exam table while he plugged me in extensively up and down my right leg. I looked like some test experiment out of Frankenstein or Total Recall.

First, he sent a pulse down my leg in the form of a humanized cattle prod placed on my skin near the nerves. In healthy legs, it would have taken only a small shock to get a reading. In mine, I was moving into first degree burn territory because the levels were so high on the prod before it registered in my toes.

“Not good,” he said.

Next, he stabbed my right calf muscle with a needle containing an embedded microphone at the tip. Apparently, neurologists use sound to evaluate the health of muscles and nerves in your body. I had no idea. In a healthy leg, the sound that should be heard is like rain falling on a roof – a slight rushing sound.

Unfortunately, mine did not make that sound. It made more of a “snap…snap” sound, like a loud clock ticking every 2 seconds.

“Do you know what that is?” he asked.

“Is it good?” I replied.

“No,” he answered.

“That’s the sound of your muscle crying out to your brain – ‘Hey, where’s the signal? What should we do next? We need to get some direction down here!” he explained.

I was dumbfounded. Here I am witnessing a physiological design by God for connection buried deep in my leg. Because of the pinched nerve in my back caused by the hernia, my leg was not receiving the necessary commands from my brain. My leg was isolated, and it was crying out to be re-connected. It reacted instinctively that this dis-connection was a bad thing that needed to be addressed and overcome.

We truly have an intrinsic need for connection. Nature abhors a vacuum, and our relational version of a vacuum is isolation. When we are not involved in meaningful significant relationships that God can use to transform us on the inside, then we are missing out on one of the key components for living. We are empty. We are one-dimensional. And despite our attempts to suppress the truth, our hearts are crying out to re-establish a healthy connection that will bring life, health, and healing to our bones.

I had surgery a month later, and have been slowly healing since. The nerves in my leg have not totally healed. I still have the tingling, numb, ’sleepy foot’ feeling all the time. While my muscles are strong and ready to exercise, the nerves in my leg are not ready to handle the rigors. There’s a chance I may have some small permanent damage for the rest of my life.

Don’t miss out on the importance of being connected in quality meaningful relationships. Don’t settle for isolation; the consequences you reap can limit you for a lifetime.