Be the Change
Monthly Column by Dr. Krista Driver

After seven hours of extreme abdominal pain, I relinquished my defiant attitude and drove myself down to the Emergency Room. Once there, the doctors scurried around ordering various tests and procedures to determine the cause of my pain. When asked how great my pain was on a scale of 1 to 10, I blurted out, “100!"

I had “episodes” of pain stretching back about eight months. Yet, it only lasted a few hours and was never as severe as it was that Sunday. It would come on quickly and end within a few hours. I thought this was just another attack, but it didn’t stop after a few hours and in fact in got increasingly worse.

Here I sit, in room 3207 typing out this article. I was admitted because the toxins in my body were so high, my liver enzymes elevated to a lethal level. And how did they get so high you ask? One teeny tiny gall stone that got stuck in my bile duct blocking the flow to my liver. For months, I had indications that something wasn’t “right” and for months I ignored the signs...until the pain was too much to endure.

Idle time always seemed like a waste to me. Even here, from my rolling bed, I am working. Researching, reading articles, providing therapy (I’m an online provider), etc. In my Internet travels I came across a little article about Eagles. Naturally I am fascinated by these magnificent creatures. However, what I read struck a chord in my healing body...

Did you know that when an Eagle eats something that makes it sick, it flies to the highest rock it can find and lays spread eagle with its wings against the surface of the rock? It stays there until the sun draws out the poison, freeing it to fly again. I read this and thought about myself and God...

When my body (or spirit or psyche or emotional state) is sick where do I turn? Do I turn to the “Rock of Ages”? Do I fly to the highest rock I can find and spread myself out before the creator of the universe? Sometimes we humans have warning signs that something isn’t “right," but we ignore them until the pain becomes unbearable. Perhaps there’s trouble in a relationship; we see it unfolding, yet do nothing to keeps the toxins out. It could be that our spiritual life is on the brink of disaster; we’re slipping away from our faith, but do nothing to stop the slide away from God. Or maybe we ingest that teeny tiny little lie -- you know? The one we tell because it’s just easier than telling the truth.

I choose to be like that Eagle…flying immediately to the highest point (the feet of Jesus) and lay spread eagle, arms outstretched…waiting for the SON to draw out the poison, whether it be poisonous thoughts, beliefs, behaviors or toxic relationships. (An example of a poisonous thought and/or belief is, “I am stupid, I will never amount to anything, I am unlovable” -- any negative self talk/belief or negative thoughts/beliefs about others).

I will wait upon the Lord like the verse in Isaiah 40:31:

"Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary."
-New American Standard Bible (©1995)

Where do you turn when the poison strikes you down? Do you have poisonous thoughts, beliefs, behaviors or relationships that you need to deal with? Is something or someone blocking the flow of your life? Go! Spread yourself out on the rock and allow the Son to soak out the toxins…You will FLY again!

About the Author: Dr. Krista Driver holds professional certifications in diagnosing and treating eating disorders and substance abuse. She is licensed in the State of California as a Marriage, Family, and Child (LMFT) therapist. Currently working in private practice, Dr. Driver is also the Founder and Executive Director of Serenity Center For Change (a public benefit nonprofit in California). From transitional living to equine therapy, Serenity Center for Change offers the tools to assist others in initiating effective change in their lives. Dr. Driver has published one book (But I Want A Casserole) and is currently awaiting the publication of her second book (But I Want the Whole Loaf). Visit her website at www.DrKristaDriver.com.