DailyConnections.net

 

This is for those with buckets of troubles and woes:  The first motivational phrase I ever heard, back when I was a ‘tween, was: “It’s not what happens to us that matters, but what happens in us.”  I recalled this recently as I thought of a friend who died of MS five years ago.  Les lost everything to that horrific disease that killed him by a hair’s breadth — slowly, relentless, steadily – day after day.  Once a vibrant member of the community, he ended up in a nursing home, totally paralyzed. 

 

When Les thought of his future, it must have been depressing — no cure, steadily increasing helplessness, and long midnight hours to ponder his fate.  Still, whenever I visited him, he was always cheerful and enthusiastic and, before the disease robbed him of speech, had some silly story or dumb joke to share.  Oh, and then he died.  Still, lying imprisoned in a nursing home bed, Les was an inspiration to me, a gift and a blessing, and I almost always enjoyed our visits.  I would miss him today if I wasn’t able to imagine him dancing, whole and playful, in God’s eternal kingdom.

 

My point:  God’s cure isn’t always physical.  It’s about the spirit, about how we handle our journey through the desert.  Be open to the expectancy of the Lord’s promise, not the expectation that He will do it our way.  And, yes, celebrate the joys and gifs and blessings of this day.  We have many, no matter what our circumstances. — jri

 

“God’s response to our suffering is

        –    Father Jonathan Morris

               (The Promise)