Broken Ribs

Gen 2: 21-22 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

 “A broken rib, or fractured rib, is a common injury that occurs when one of the bones in your rib cage breaks or cracks. The most common cause of broken ribs is trauma to the chest. Many broken ribs are merely cracked. While still painful, cracked ribs aren't as potentially dangerous as ribs that have been broken. In these situations, a jagged piece of bone could damage major blood vessels or internal organs, such as the lungs. In most cases, broken ribs heal on their own in one or two months. Adequate pain control is important, so you can continue to breathe deeply and avoid lung complications.” (Taken from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/broken-ribs/DS00939)

Ribs are designed to protect the heart and lungs – the center of all life and the breath. Ribs are closer to the skin and thus, sometimes feel pains and pressures that other things in the body cannot. Without ribs, a person’s most vital organs would be susceptible to anything that bumped into the skin (flesh). The outside world would have greater access and, thus, more ability to bring damage to the inside world. In a perfect system, the ribs are never damaged and are able to adequately and consistently do the job for which they were designed.

Unfortunately, sometimes ribs are damaged (cracked or broken). When this happens, not only is there an inordinate amount of pain, it also leaves the heart and lung exposed to things that they would not otherwise need to fear. While still painful, cracked ribs aren't as potentially dangerous as ribs that have been broken. Once a rib has been broken, the very thing that was designed to protect the heart and lungs, can create the most damage to them. Not only are outside threats more present, but a wrong move or wrong breath could be potentially life ending. Although broken ribs can and do heal, the recovery process can be long and painful. And the damage that a broken rib can cause to internal organs, can sometimes lead to complications that need additional attention.

Ribs should be protected. Try not to fall, or get hit, or run into things. Watch where you’re going and be mindful of your surroundings. Be aware of the threat that a cracked or broken rib places on the rest of the body. If the ribs are cracked or broken, take great care in making sure they heal properly so as not to cause related problems later. The heart and lungs owe a debt of gratitude to the ribs for their protection – seeing as how that is what they were designed for. Hearts and lungs should not underestimate how important that protect is or what would happen if something happened to the ribs.

While we often hear this reference in terms of relationships – let’s broaden our view a bit. If in fact, women were created from the rib with their central purpose being the protection of life, then where does it serve the world to treat women poorly? Even when they are cracked or broken, as long as they are still in their proper place in the body – they take on the brunt of the pain caused by external forces and the heart and lungs are still safer because of their existence.

All of this from a rib that has been broken and caused damage; that has been cracked and still worked to protect; that is still bruised in some places and nervous about being bumped. Our prayer today, Lord is for broken, cracked and bruised ribs everywhere, that they may be made whole and healed properly. That they may not cause any additional damage to the body. That they always serve as a line of defense and that the body will recognize their importance and work to protect them. To the God who makes all things new – we submit this humble prayer. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.