Unveiling the Light

I have been suffering for days now. I know the TV remote is in the house but darned if I know where. This is not the first time it has been lost. Once, after a week of exercising by rising from my chair to change the channel, I finally came across the missing remote. It was in the freezer! Now how it got into the freezer I have no idea. It must have been during one of my musings, when my mind is far from my body. I can imagine myself placing the remote in the freezer while the ice cream lies melting on the counter. Who knows? I have even caught myself searching for my reading glasses when I am actually wearing and looking through them!

I recently turned 50 and these “Golden Years� have so far been less than kind to me. I am still recovering from a nasty spider bite that occurred in early August. My vacation was lost, replaced by a long hospital stay, at home care with intravenous medication, and even now, continued use of a “wound-vac� that must be carried around and connected 24 hours a day. I had to adopt out my best friend, a four legged type named Patrick, because out of the blue he decided to uncharacteristically taste somebody's arm. An old broken wrist has begun acting up, and; (Did I mention?�) My back is acting up again, probably due to the cane I use to help the wound from the spider bite heal. (It is on my right ankle.) To make matters worse, I understand that Patrick is very happy and doing just fine without me, thank you! How ungrateful is that! (Now I can expect much grief from his many fans.)

I believe it was the humorous Erma Baumback who said, “Old Age is not for the faint hearted.� How right she was! Too bad I won’t be allowed to revel in my self-pity. You see, being a pastor of a large parish I am often in the company of those who consider me to be very young. Few of the 70, 80, and 90 plus year old parishioners will have much sympathy for my state. They hold me to a high standard. Some are healthier than I am but I know that many also have their aches and pains. Some have faced serious illness. Still all display a great love for life. In talking with them I usually discover that few of them fear death. They have made their peace and are ready, but while God leaves them in this life, they are determined to live it in full. They are great examples of how to happily live a faith filled life.

Woe am I, for although I have the aches and pains of growing older, I am not allowed to let them affect my outlook on life. These good Christians insist on living by the Word I proclaim in the name of Jesus Christ. They make me realize that all things have meaning, even suffering. God calls us to look beyond our immediate pain or discomfort. These trials serve to humble us and cause us to look to back God for comfort. They cause us to consider reformation in our life. This Gospel of Jesus Christ that I preach is full of hope and the people who have listened now throw it back at me! God does not promise that this life will always be easy and comfortable. He simply promises that we are never without him. God loves us even in our sinfulness and especially in our suffering.

So I will, instead of complaining, point out to you that God has gifted me with a vocation that I love. Growing up, my plans and yearnings were for wealth, fame and glory. Now I turn my back on all these things and only seek to follow Jesus. I seek to love and to be open to love from those around me and especially God. I have to admit that, despite the trials of this priesthood that I have committed my life to; I am far better and happier for it. In fact I have never been happier with my life. Sometimes we just like to complain for the sake of drawing attention to our sufferings. It is a sinful trait that speaks to a lack of humility and a need for outside reinforcement when I should be putting all of my hope in the Lord. We should all try to avoid such self grander.

Now, if only I could get rid of this contraption I have to lug around and find my remote control … Oh! Did I tell you that with my cable hook makes it hard to change the television channel manually? Do you want to hear about my ingrown toe nails …