The Magi
looked to the stars and found the Star that told them a new King was born.
After a long, dangerous and arduous journey, they found Christ with Mary and
Joseph in the house in Nazareth. They found Him because they were looking for Him.
Have you ever
put on a jacket or coat, or picked up a purse that you haven’t used in long
time and found a few dollars in it that you forgot that you had? Like the woman
who found her lost coin, you’re ready to celebrate. When that happened to me, I
thought that somehow God has given me a blessing. How amazing that we can often
see God’s hand in the good things that happen to us, but when we fall on hard
times we may think that God is far away! Yet even in our darkest times, God
loves us and turns everything to good for those who love Him.
This year,
Pat & I have been on a roller coaster since my first surgery in December
2012. Many people commented that we don’t deserve to suffer like this, as
though we are too good to have something like this happen to us. My Lord Jesus was
sinless and loved everyone, yet they spat on Him, beat Him, nailed Him to a
cross and pierced Him with a spear for my sins. I am a sinner and yet in my
illness I am carrying only a splinter of His cross. I have been healthy for
most of my life. I consider my current illness a minor annoyance compared to
what so many others have endured.
I am doubly blessed to have Pat as my wife. She has nursed me through this illness 24/7. I have awakened her at 2:30 AM and she responded selflessly and lovingly. I have witnessed not only her love for me as a wife, but her dedication and her training as a nurse. I am encouraged to continue to heal so that, as St. Paul says, “I can console others as I have been consoled.”