... I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

2 Corinthians 12:7 (NIV)

“Arthur is here again!” declared Grandma as we entered the room. Arthur visited Grandma often in her last years. It was an ache deep in her joints and particularly in her fingers and toes.

No creams or meds seemed to cut the pain of arthritis (Arthur) which beset her. My siblings and I now understand what that pain was doing to the physical and emotional being of Grandma. It is an inheritance we did not easily accept.

The inheritance we all did accept, however, is the faith in Jesus Christ that Grandma shared, despite the pains and heartaches of this world. No matter how deep the pain, she knew that her eternal home, free from the burdens of this world, would be in heaven with her Lord.

Margaret Hinchey
Loveland, CO

Dear Lord, help us to endure the pains of this world, knowing of our eternal home with you! Amen.

Reflect: What pains in your life keep you from living life to its fullest?

Read: John 16:33 and Colossians 3:23-25