This past week I have been reminded of just how fragile we as humans really are. It’s easy to think we’re always going to be healthy, always going to have our family around, and our health will stay the same as long as we eat healthy and exercise.
Tuesday afternoon I received four emails that came from our church prayer chain.
Email #1 asked us to pray for a family whose 1 year old boy had gone to the doctor for a routine visit only to be rushed to Children’s Hospital diagnosed with leukemia. How could a young and energetic little boy be given such a journey to travel!? Talk about a life altering day!
Within an hour email #2 came into my inbox. Another church members mother had been sent to the hospital with some serious conditions and they were waiting to find out various test results to know what to do next.
While these two families were dominating my mind email #3 made my phone light up. This one had the never pleasant news we all knew was coming but are never ready to hear. An older man that used to attend our church for years with his wife had finally surcumed to the cancer he had been fighting.
When my phone vibrated later that day and I saw it was from the prayer chain again I began to wonder what was going on. Why so many in one day!? Well, the final email (#4) I received that day asked us to pray for one of the men in our church is a spiritual pillar, a steady presence during times of transition, a deacon for a time, and a smiling face to connect with each week. He is potentially back to battling a second round of cancer in his throat. Round one was won by him but he did lose some of his voice due to the surgery and treatment. What will round two take!?
Psalms 103:15 describes humanity in this way. “As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.” Wow, not exactly a strong and hardy picture of humanity! In fact the verse prior says this, “For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”
My encouragement for you today is this: Life is fragile and we are not in control.
How is that an encouragement? The more I realize I’m a needy and fragile being the more willing I am to fall before the feet of my Savior and allow Him to hold me, lead me, and trust that He has my best in mind. (Jer. 29:11) When I realize how weak I am it drives me to the One whose strength is made perfect in our weakness. That is the encouragement. When we are weakest He is most strong.
Questions to think about:
1) When was the last time I thought about the fragility of life?
2) How long has it been since I fell to my knees and thanked God for my families health?
3) What should my response be today to the truth that I am like grass and dust?
4) How does that change my perspective on the struggle I’m currently in today?
