Reminders

I am not writing this for sympathy sake, but because the Lord has offered me a reminder these last two days about my life, and the realities of things in my life.

I am sick. Not so sick to be in the least concerned, but enough so to feel like crap. You know, run of the mill stuff - stuffy head, cough, fever, achey all over - which all add up to make me feel bad.

However, instead of giving in to the temptation to be placid & "rest" all day (which at times feels like a lousy excuse to be lazy), I am going to attempt by God's grace to think hard all day, to use my mind and heart as I consider His word, commune in prayer, & read another book(s), & thus I think make the best use of this day! I think this plan will strike a distinct balance between resting & making use of these evil days as Paul writes, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil" (Eph 5:15-16). So that is my plan for the day.

Now, here are the real lessons.

First, one of my friends who is also a double lung transplant recipient is laid up in the hospital with pneumonia, which is a fairly dangerous place to be (think compromised immune system). I am not there, & have not been close since I was transplanted, & by God's grace I pray I won't ever be.

Second, I have brothers & sisters in Christ around the world who are being tortured for following Christ, who are proclaiming to the face of their persecutors that they are complete in Christ & ready for death!  Thats bold! So, my prayer is that this fever & achey back make me mindful of my brothers & sisters who are bearing the death of Christ, who are filling up the cup of His suffering so that He might inherit his reward, mean, women, & children from all ethnos. the world over! Further, I pray that my achey body reminds me of Christ Himself, His suffering - both physical & spiritual - that He bore on behalf of me and all men in all places throughout all times!

So, in light of this, my fever-ish and achey body does not seem like that big a deal. And if somehow by having a virus, or cold or whatever it is I can glorify God, then so be it. That sounds like a really bold statement to make, but in light of God's grace which is endless and infinite, its not really.

So, perhaps life is fragile, which is why we need be much more mindful of eternity's nearness!