Hello ,
"The extreme greatness of Christianity lies in the fact that it does not seek a supernatural remedy for suffering but a supernatural use for it." — Simone Weil, philosopher
Next week will mark 31 years that my wife has been paralyzed, and in a wheelchair. I can't pretend to say that I'm okay with it, because I'm not. Not a day has gone by since that time, when I didn't wish for her to be made whole and healthy again.
This was not supposed to happen!
It wasn't in our plans for her to be handicapped. How could it have been? She was an incredibly active, vivacious 25 year old who had her entire life ahead of her.
She jogged 5 miles a day. She was always busy doing something. She was like that little Energizer Bunny...always going.
When her accident happened, I was devastated. I kept wondering if there was a way that God could make her whole again, and I prayed for that reality over and over and over again.
"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5
Real joy doesn't have to be predicated on whether or not God answers all of our prayers. God isn't a divine "vending machine" that we pump our "prayer quarters" into, and out pops a can of "positively answered prayer."
God is God...and we're not!
There can be real joy in this idea that God sees a "big eternal picture" that we can't even begin to wrap our minds around.
For whatever reason, my wife hasn't been completely healed of her disability, but God has shown us enough of His grace to help us to understand that a better day is coming. We cling to the thought of seeing her run and jump once again.
God doesn't waste our pain. He doesn't turn His face away from our tears. He knows exactly who we are, and where we are in this life, and He has a plan that we would never even think to change if we could see the end from the beginning.
Have a great day, and God bless!
