Spirituality - My Recovery

by Rebbetzin Feige Twerski

My leg wasn’t the only thing that got shattered that fateful day.

A year and a half ago I was struck by a car during a casual summer walk with a friend. I was fortunate to survive the accident, but my leg was shattered and I needed surgery to reconstruct my leg. Complications followed and, not unpredictably, my recovery has proceeded slowly and sporadically, with many ups and downs. Additionally, the accident had an adverse effect on my immune system, and what might have been ordinary episodes of cellulitis and shingles, turned into prolonged and excruciating ordeals. It is fair to say that the physical residual toll is still being exacted. The post-traumatic emotional scars are less obvious, manifesting themselves in almost imperceptible ways, but are, nonetheless, a reality with which I have to contend.

Life as usual came to a halt. Deadlines to which I was committed had to be abandoned, appointments canceled, and a myriad of other obligations which are generally viewed as non-negotiable, were set aside in deference to healing and recovering. All the must-do’s became irrelevant, non-issues. Slowing down was mandated by a wake-up call, a message sent by Divine providence. This unanticipated respite in the stream of my life provided necessary reflection and contemplation. The following are some of the thoughts and insights born from this experience.

Finding True Love in a Hook-up World

Written by Sean McDowell

If you could have any wish come true, what would you wish for? When I pose this question to my students they often say things such as, “to be rich,” “to be famous,” or “to find the perfect mate.” But of all the responses I have heard, the words of Ashley, an 18-year-old high school senior, stand out most vividly in my mind. After I spoke on sexual purity at a Tuesday-night youth group, she came up to me with tears in her eyes and said, “If I could have one wish in life, it would be to go back four years ago and hear this same message. I might not have ruined my life.” Ashley simply said thanks, and then walked away.

I have often wondered what decisions Ashley made that caused such deep scars in her life. Was she struggling with guilt or depression from a seemingly “harmless” hook-up? Did she get a sexually transmitted disease? Did she have an abortion? My heart went out to Ashley because I could see the pain on her face as she so deeply regretted her past choices. Somewhere she bought a false idea about sex, acted on it, and now she is paying a heavy price. Ashley learned a painful, yet powerful lesson: ideas have consequences. What you believe about sex will affect your choices, and your choices will shape the direction of your life. Misunderstanding the purpose and nature of sex can have disastrous consequences. So, what is the purpose of sex? And how can we find true love in a hook-up world?

Delayed Gratification - I Wish You Enough

Habakkuk 3:1–19

In Habakkuk 2:2–3, God asks his prophet to record a vision of a future day—a day when the Lord will respond to injustice. 
Habakkuk 2:4 spells out that we are to live until that day “by his faithfulness,” not by sight. Habakkuk 3:3–15 reveals the content of the vision.

Habakkuk is deeply changed; his response in 3:16–19 clearly illustrates what it means to live by faith in God’s promise. After a moment’s recuperation from the cosmic events that he has just witnessed, the prophet declares, “I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us” (Hab 3:16). 

Dreams help us solve puzzles

Scientists have long wondered why we dream, with answers ranging from Sigmund Freud's idea that dreams fulfill our wishes to the speculation that these wistful journeys are just a side rapid-eye-movement, or REM, sleep. 

Turns out, at least part of the reason may be critical thinking, according to Harvard psychologist Deirdre Barrett who presented her theory in 2010 at the Association for Psychological Science meeting in Boston. She has found that our slumbering hours may help us solve puzzles that have plagued us during daylight hours.

According to Barrett, it's the visual and often illogical aspects of dreams that make them perfect for out-of-the-box thinking that is necessary to solve some problems.