"How you know that you are getting......"

OLD????

When you go to the orthopedist for recurring knee pain (2 surgeries in 5 years), and the diagnosis is....., ARTHRITIS of the knee at age 32 that will not get any better.

That's how.

I am thanking God this day that I do not have cancer or some other life-threatening illness at age 32, because many people do. So today in all of my frustration, I am choosing joy. Joy is a choice you know. While circumstances may never change, your heart can change in the midst of circumstances. I hope that you too, choose joy today no matter what you are facing. Over the past several months, I have been more and more aware that our bodies are simply "shells" that more often than not, cracked and broken, sometimes beyond repair. I have seen, and even experienced, so much physical pain around me lately - both within my own body and the bodies of my family members. It has given me a much needed "jolt" out of the all too comfortable world that I reside. God knows when I get too comfortable, and He is always gracious (and I truly do believe that it is HIS grace to even allow me to see suffering), to bring me back to a right perspective in Him. As a believer, I know that this is not my home. This is not all there is, and that brings me much joy, hope, and comfort in the midst of suffering. I was given the privilege of singing at a funeral this past week, and was yet again reminded of the brevity of this life and also the eternity of the next life. I am watching my own grandmother's body grow weaker and more frail almost daily it seems, and that too brings me back to a Heavenly perspective. How defeated we would be if we did not have hope beyond this life - that there truly is a place where there are no more tears, no more pain, no more suffering? I cling to that hope, the promise that is mine as a believer, that I will see Jesus one day and will be free to worship Him as He intended....., free from SIN, and free from the effects of sin which brings so much pain!

This post went a different direction than I intended, but I feel more hopeful than when I initially started writing. I hope you do too.

Blessings for a great day - maybe not a pain free day, but a great day!