So I get a warm blanket and a snack, some “Ensure “ or a cup of coffee if I want. I’m in a comfy chair that also has a heater in it. I get an infusion and I usually fall asleep. The nurse asks some questions every time but twice now a very specific question is asked – “are you distressed in anyway?” How fascinating. I get asking about pain or nausea or discomfort but that specific word “distressed” is interesting.
It pops up in the Old Testament translated from a Hebrew word that means “squeezed”. The mafia guys sitting around talking about “putting the squeeze” on someone means to pressure them to what they want. The carpenter looking for “distressed wood” looks for something that has had pressure applied. Some wood is extracted from deep water where the pressure has made it a desirable product.
Sin squeezes us. Sometimes our reaction to the issues of life squeeze us and put us in tight spots. The reaction of those who come to faith is that they are free and loose and wandering wide open spaces. In Christ and the one who says our sins are forgiven we are let loose to skip like calf let loose from the stall.
