FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15

Isaiah 53:11 -After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life, and be satisfied...

As a physical therapist, I have the opportunity to work with people who are suffering from pain and some degree of physical dysfunction. One morning, I asked a patient who I was treating for foot pain how she was doing. She told me she felt guilty for wasting my time on her insignificant problem.  Being a little surprised by her response, I noticed she was looking across the gym area at a patient who was sitting in a wheelchair. The gentleman in the wheelchair had a foot surgically amputated due to complications from diabetes, and he was in physical therapy to learn to walk again. Now, I understood her response. She stopped thinking about her foot pain and she was overcome with a feeling of gratitude that she had two feet.

Similar things have happened to me. I take things for granted until I have an experience that opens my eyes to the reality around me. In 1999, I was diagnosed with colon cancer that had spread to my liver.  Two year survival is not favorable with this diagnosis, but I am happy to be enjoying my eighth Advent season this year.  Living with cancer, I have learned many lessons, but the most important is that life itself is a precious gift. Today is special. Even if I am experiencing times of suffering and sorrow, I can be thankful for today and be satisfied. My satisfaction comes from the knowledge that God loved me so much that he sent his one and only Son to die for my sins. This sacrifice allows me to be in a relationship with God and I am enjoying an abundant life, an eternal life. My prayer is that we will all see the “light of life” this Advent season and be satisfied.