Blessings Within Burdens

Read John 1:32-44 - raising of Lazarus

And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.

Romans 8:28 (TLB)

Margaret Foegen Karsten lives in Wisconsin. At age 22, their son, John, who had Duchenne muscular dystrophy, had surgery to insert feeding tubes. Loss of muscles, including those that control swallowing, created a condition that contributed to frequent pneumonia. John had also lost weight.

Two months after the surgery, with Thanksgiving approaching, Margaret felt despondent because John could no longer join in family meals with them. The scripture reading at church about Jesus' raising Lazarus from the dead took on new meaning, however. Instead of lamenting that John couldn't eat, Margaret thanked God that he was alive. How wonderful that God gave people the knowledge and skill to put all nutrients needed to sustain human life in a can!

John could not enjoy family meals as he once had, but he could laugh, talk, play games, defend his views, give advice, tell jokes, and watch his favorite football team. Although the ingenuity underlying tube-feeding that restored his life differed markedly from Christ's miraculous raising of Lazarus, it allowed John to be with them for 11 more years and live to see his younger sisters become adults.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for helping us see how you can use even heavy burdens to restore life. Help us live one day at a time, trusting you to provide for us, in Jesus' name. Amen.