Today and Tomorrow

I am getting old.  I was playing basketball a few weeks back, and someone threw me a pass that I was not expecting.  I raised my hands to block/catch the ball, and my left pointer finger was not in the right position when the ball made contact.  Instant pain followed by swelling and limited motion.  I could not straighten my finger at the last knuckle, not just due to the pain, but it just didn't move the way I was trying to get it to move.

Mallet fracture...6 weeks in a splint to keep the finger straight, must be worn 24/7 - in the shower, while sleeping, etc.  If I allow the knuckle to bend JUST ONCE the tendon will stretch where it was producing scar tissue, and I will have to start all over again...

And of course I'm left handed....


Enduring discomfort in the service of a greater good.  This is one of the things that distinguishes humans from all other animals - our capacity to bargain with our future selves.  If my TODAY-self is willing to pay a certain price, my TOMORROW-self could reap the benefits.  If you think about it, we make this bargain everyday.  We work today to reap the benefits on payday.  We raise our children in the hope that one day they will fly on their own.  We forgo that donut so we can fit comfortably into our favorite dress or pair of pants.   We put money away today so that at some point down the road we will no longer need to work.

But there are also times when we make the decision that the future benefit is not worth enduring the discomfort.  No doubt that in some situations this is a very good decision - but if you are like me, there are other times when all I am thinking about is the present - the TODAY-self -  and I just want what I want, TOMORROW-self be damned.

The question always is - what are you willing to sacrifice?  Because even if we are not consciously aware if it, in every decision we make we are either sacrificing today, or tomorrow....

St. Paul (and many others in the Bible) often makes a distinction between living in 'the spirit' and living in 'the flesh'.  I see a strong corollary between these and the today/tomorrow self.   Like so many other saints, through his encounter with Christ Paul turned from a today-focused way of life to a tomorrow-focused worldview.  He recognized the value of what was being offered to him - if the TODAY-self served God and endured all the discomfort that choice brings, eternal life with the God of love awaited the TOMORROW-self.  This led him to the bearing of many crosses - as will be the case for anyone who makes this ultimate choice.  Yet the suffering and sacrifices are carried not in sorrow and despair, but with the knowledge of their value to the one to which the sacrifice is being made.  As some wise philosopher once said "anyone with a WHY can bear any HOW."

I grew to be very annoyed with that splint.  My finger would sweat and the rubbing caused skin irritation and pressure point pain.  I had to learn to wash my hair with one finger pointed to the sky the whole time.  My typing speed slowed and I often had to use my right hand to touch keys on the left side of the keyboard.  I couldn't put my hand in my pocket or wear a glove, so when outside my left hand was cold.  Ever try using a fork in your off-hand?  Try it and see how it changes your eating experience...

So I was very thankful when at the doctors office we removed the splint and my finger stayed straight!  Its still stiff and not as strong as it was before, but it is straight and usable, and getting stronger.  At first I was very cautious with it, but slowly I am starting to forget about the fragility of it, and just exercising it like all my other fingers...back to doing what it is supposed to do, being what God created it to be. 

Is my TODAY-self making decisions to walk along that same path?