Category: Thought Provoking

Living in the Tension

Living in the Tension

Today, I’m truly reminded of the brevity of life. On September 10, 2022, my best friend, Brad, was killed in a motorcycle collision (with a moose). As I read today how Jesus challenged us to consider the lilies, the grass of the field and the birds of the air, I began to see what I had never previously seen from the many times I have read or referenced these words.

“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?”

Luke 12:27-28 NLT

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

Matthew 6:26 NIV

When Jesus refers to lilies and birds in Luke 12/Matt. 6, I have always felt reassured and comforted but today, I felt unsettled. My concentration in these verses has always been on the comforting truth that we need not worry because God values and cares for us even more than the birds or the lilies. However, as I pondered the next phrase about the flowers that are “here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow,” I realized its solemn truth about the brevity of life.

Continue this same truth about birds for a moment. Earlier this year, we were with our grandchildren in downtown Ottawa. Walking past a large glass building, we couldn’t help but notice several dead birds on the concrete walkway. Their lives had been cut short by having flown into the glass windows.

While reading today through a study called “Wisdom Over Wealth,” this statement was most sobering to me: “Jesus isn’t saying the birds are protected from all harm.” The fact is we pray for the Lord’s protection over our lives and Jesus clearly instructed us, “Do not worry about your life” (Matt. 6:25). We are not to live in fear but we are to live in this paradox.

We visited with Melinda this summer (Brad’s widow) and chatted about how often people speak of the Lord’s protection. I truly struggle in the conundrum of why God allowed Brad’s life on earth to end at such a young age. He was having such an impact for God’s kingdom. Jesus does provide a response as we live in this tension, even though it may not be the one we wish to hear:

“But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.

Matthew 10:29 NLT

The fact is we often face death or illness or circumstances in life that we simply cannot understand. Jesus, by His words, is inviting us into this tension: enjoying God’s provision while accepting life’s brevity.

Jesus was confirming that we are like the birds and the flowers – we are made of the same stuff, the dust of the earth. Please don’t miss the fulness of what Jesus was saying. We can be people who can trust the Lord for and live in His provision; but we are also called to trust Him when the sparrow falls to the ground – He knows and He sees.

The year 2022 was “Come Home Year” in Newfoundland – we bought a mug with that title as a souvenir. That mug is now a solemn reminder of Brad and the year he went Home.

I love this quote from the Faith & Finance Study: “We can live more freely once we get more comfortable with the inevitability and unpredictability of our own death.”

Our Relationships Don’t Belong to Us!

Our Relationships Don’t Belong to Us!

I read this statement in a devotional recently and was challenged with the thought. Paul David Tripp writes that:

Fellowship is God caring enough to put people in your life to encourage, rebuke and comfort you.

New Morning Mercies, Paul David Tripp (Aug. 19)

I’ve been in relationship with some people for many years now, which begs the question: “Why are these people (or this person) in my life?”

Tripp explains it this way:

“We cannot allow ourselves to have an owner’s view of our relationships, as if they exist for the sole purpose of our happiness. Our relationships don’t belong to us – They belong to God for his use, for his purpose.”

This changes our perspective – if we don’t own these relationships and they are not “about us” solely, there must be a reason, a deeper purpose. The unseen part of relationship is how they came to be and also why they came to exist.

If we take the “owner’s view” it means either we or the person we are in relationship with took the initiative to establish contact. This easily excludes God’s part in this relationship and means we can miss seeing his purpose.

My wife and I met while we were attending the same college. We take for granted our chance meeting at an airport in late April 1985 and then meeting again the following weekend in her hometown. This was the only weekend she was home because she was between semesters while attending university. That chance weekend meeting clinched my decision to attend the same university that summer where our relationship began to develop. The rest, as they say, is history.

Was this simply a series of coincidences, where each of us initiated our relationship to spend time together? Or was God more involved than we often give Him credit for?

I choose to believe that my relationships are an example of God caring enough to infuse people into my life for His use and His divine purpose.

One of the other life-changing experiences for me was joining the community of Christian financial professionals, known as Kingdom Advisors. It was a game-changer when it became clear that I didn’t have to separate my faith from my work as a financial advisor.

Here’s the advice from Kingdom Advisors:

“Don’t spend another day feeling divided between your faith and your career. Get certified by Kingdom Advisors and fully integrate your faith into your financial practice.”

I’m looking forward to connecting with advisors in a cohort this fall (meeting weekly starting Sept. 4th) to walk with advisors through 20 Modules of Core Training. This journey together will be a key to fully integrate your faith into your financial practice and continue to build God-ordained relationships.

When You Don’t Run Alone: 1924 & 2024

When You Don’t Run Alone: 1924 & 2024

I did have opportunity to watch some of the Olympics that just concluded and one of my highlights was Canada running in the men’s 4×100 Relay race. This was quite a surprise as the announcer shared: “They got the baton around the track faster than anybody else! With four men who didn’t have the individual clock speed here at these games. What a reversal of fortune for these men here tonight.” They did not medal in the individual races they ran, yet had the best time when they ran the relay.

You can watch the video here: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6476926

The key to their success is how they worked together as a team and were able to win the gold medal, which they were unable to accomplish when running alone.

This reminded me of the Olympics 100 years earlier – 1924, long before I was born, but I have read and previously written about Eric Liddell. He was a devout Christian and missionary to China, who felt it a priority to run in the Olympic games. His sister felt that his training for the 1924 Olympics deterred him from returning to China as a missionary. I’m confident she saw his calling and work in life was being a missionary, not running. However, Liddell said, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast! And when I run I feel His pleasure.”

But when the timetable for the Games was released, the 100m heats were on a Sunday and Eric Liddell dropped a stunning revelation. The Christian Sabbath was the Lord’s Day and there was nothing in this world that could persuade him to run.
Liddell’s decision meant he had to give up on his strongest event and switch his focus to the 400m. Instead of a straight dash to the finish line, this event required the stamina to maintain the pace around a full lap of the track, described at the time as the quarter-mile race.

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240705-olympics-hero-eric-liddell-and-the-real-story-behind-chariots-of-fire

Fellow Scottish athlete Tom Riddell said this longer distance exposed Liddell’s idiosyncrasies, but he could still rely upon that electrifying pace. Riddell told the BBC he had asked Liddell about his tactical approach: “In his own words he said, ‘Well, when the gun goes, I go as fast as I can, and I trust to God that I’ll have the strength to do the second half.’ And I think he really did.”

The truth is Liddell was running an individual race but he was not running alone!

We usually would not class running or involvement in a sporting activity as spiritual, or for God, but simply a physical activity. For Liddell, running wasn’t just a fun activity but a God honouring one.

The mistake we often make is in categorizing our activities, whether it’s exercising or working as a non-spiritual activity. We view our walking, running, or cycling as a physical activity and our work as secular. In doing so, we separate it from what is sacred, rather than sensing the pleasure of God in that activity.

Here is a great piece of advice: Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord … (Col 3:23). The reality is that when we serve others (in our work), we are actually serving the Lord, not just men (Eph. 6:7). If we can say when we walk or work that “we feel His pleasure,” God is truly walking and working with us and through us. This adds a brand new energy to our efforts. When you work, you are not working alone.

It’s not original to me but here’s a great question and the best advice:

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!

The Apostle Paul – 1 Corinthians 9:24 NLT

The Secret to Growing Your Business

The Secret to Growing Your Business

In the past several weeks I have had multiple conversations with self-employed entrepreneurs who have expressed the urgency to focus on growing their business.

I completely understand the urgency and have been in the exact situation myself ​- fully focused on growing the business with little time for anything else. ​Based on my own experience, as long as my sole focus remained on growing the business, I was working hard and striving for success. I was doing all the right things like marketing myself, networking, asking for referrals and in general, working hard. None of these are really secrets to success, are they? They are simply the necessary elements we would immediately think about and without implementing, success would be extremely unlikely. All of these efforts gave me only a measure of success as a financial advisor.

However, it was only ​when I focused on ​incorporating God into my business that I truly came to reach a level of success that I desired and at a rate of growth that I had never thought possible. In the last 5 years that I was a practicing advisor, my business grew by more than 1200%.

As I look back, this business success happened only when I began to invest some of my time away from the typical business opportunities. I started a training course that gave me a different perspective, namely that God was more interested and involved in my business success than I realized. Somehow, I was convinced that my own efforts had brought me this success, but then again, I wasn’t the first to come to that conclusion. God reminded the Israelites how He fed them manna and cared for them in the wilderness because He knew they might want to take the credit for their prosperity.

You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

Deut. 8:17-18 NIV

Despite this verse being underlined in my Bible, it was far too easy for me to emphasize the part I played in this success, and in so doing, diminish the role that God played in it. Sure, my ability played a part, but who gave me the ability? While my training, education, sales skills had to be developed, ultimately it was God who had positioned me in this role to start with. He had opened the opportunity to be trained in this field and I certainly would not have chosen this path on my own.

The global financial crisis of 2008/2009 was a time of profound soul searching for me but was very pivotal in my journey. It led me to a deeper study to earn my CKA® (Certified Kingdom Advisor®) designation which helped me understand God’s activity in my business.

The result: first, surrendering the ownership of my business to Him, then second, my striving diminished as He grew the business. Maybe that’s exactly what John meant when he said, “He must increase but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

For the record, the S&P 500 did increase in value from 2010 – 2015 by 92%, so this does account for some of the growth in business. The remaining 1100% growth that occurred in less than 5 years is much more than I could have ever accomplished unless I decreased and He increased.
​

Where Are You?

Have you ever asked a question even though you knew the answer? This is a common technique used when engaging with children or grandchildren. It’s a great way to help them think about a situation they find themselves in and how they ended up there.

Similarly, sometimes we ask the question “Where are you?” even though the answer seems obvious.

In life, we all have moments where we wish we could make a different decision. Maybe you’ve been there too.

When God asked Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” it wasn’t about their physical location but rather their proximity to Him! It wasn’t about making them feel guilty for their mistakes, or even how their choices was a failure to trust Him when tempted.

It’s easy to get stuck dwelling on our past mistakes and the resulting consequences. But what’s the point of that? The mistake is behind us, and we can’t change it. Instead, we should focus on where we are now and where we want to go. After all, mistakes are just detours on the journey to our true purpose. Let’s not allow them define us or hold us back.

I am reading through the Bible this year and just finished the story of Joseph. If anyone in life was shifted off course, it was Joseph. Having a dream (at age 17), being sold by his brothers, then elevated to a position of authority only to be falsely accused of sexual misconduct, thrown in jail and eventually becoming the second in command in all of Egypt (when he was 30). Where was Joseph? That’s 13 years of utter turmoil when Joseph went from a pit to prison, yet had success even in the darkest times.

Where are you? This simple question has a deeper meaning than just location. It’s an invitation to reflect on where you are in life and where you are meant to be. Taking time to reflect on your relationship with God and your life’s purpose can lead to powerful transformations. Don’t underestimate the power of this question and the impact it can have on your life.

Can you just imagine the scene where Joseph’s brothers meet him 15 years later after causing so much pain and disruption in his life? He is now in a position of authority above all of them. This turn of events likely left them in shock and fear.

What amazes me is “where” Joseph was … not in his position, but in his perspective. Joseph explains to his brothers that yes, “you sold me here” but more significant is the fact that “God sent me before you to preserve life” (Gen. 45:5). Joseph recognized that every difficult situation he faced had a greater purpose than he realized at the time. His story reminds us that our perspective can be more significant than our position.

So, where are you right now? Instead of just naming a place or position, we should consider our proximity to God and the work that He has prepared for us to do. Let’s focus on our perspective and trust that every step we take, even in difficult times, is leading us towards a greater purpose.

Conformed or Transformed?

As we start another year, the Apostle Paul offers very clear instruction:

“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”

Romans 12:2 HCSB

Written so long ago – how do we apply this in our day? No doubt it is much easier to conform to this age because it takes more of an effort to be transformed. It takes intentionality to be transformed because what comes naturally is being conformed to what is around us (this age or the world around us).

The renewal of the mind is the key, meaning we must intentionally have things enter our mind to bring transformation. This begs the question: what is entering our minds? What we read, listen to, watch or in essence, what we consume on a regular basis shapes our thinking.

A deeper question then becomes: What is the source of the things we consume (what we read, hear and watch)? Clearly what Paul is saying here is that the source of what we consume is more important than we might realize because it determines if we are conforming to this age or being transformed! Transformation happens only when the mind is renewed by a source other than “this age.”

Butterflies undergo a complete metamorphosis. Each stage looks completely different and serves a different purpose in the life of the insect.
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/educators/resource/butterfly-life-cycle

It is vital for every Christian to “be transformed” because it is only then we become capable of discerning “what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” in every aspect of our lives.

Let’s practically apply this in our finances: If you receive an increase in your annual pay for the next year, what will you do with that increase?

The most natural response is to increase your lifestyle, since you can now afford it a little better. You can also choose to pay down debt, or save this amount for a short or long term goal. Another option would be to give some or all of this pay increase to a charity of choice. I’ve listed these in this order based on two things: the first being my experience with clients as a financial advisor, but secondly on “this age” which typically shapes our financial decision making. You will likely agree that it is “this age” that influences the choices we make.

Let me echo the instruction of Paul here: “Do not be conformed to this age” or as it relates to our finances, do not increase your standard of living, “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” meaning our thinking is changed, even reversed, so we choose to increase our standard of giving.

God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving.

Randy Alcorn

Come Home Year 2022!

Come Home Year 2022!

Back in 1989, the denomination that we pastored in wanted us to determine where our loyalties lay – with the denomination or my family. We chose family and the repercussions of that decision effectively cut us off from the church and colleagues that we had attended Bible college with. There was one young man – age 18 – @Bradley Truman Noel, who remained a true and loyal friend for 35 years.

This past summer, we stayed a couple of days with Brad and his wife, Melinda and also bought a “Come Home Year 2022” mug on our visit home. What we did not know was that when I spoke with Brad (in July), it would be the last conversation I would have with him because he tragically passed away on Sept. 10th. As I was recently washing that mug, I couldn’t help but think that Brad went HOME as well in 2022, but to an eternal home that is far better than NL.

I googled the definition of home and found this:

“The place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.”

Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages

On Sept. 10, 2022, Brad was riding his motorcycle to his home in Springdale (his temporary home), and many have said that he didn’t make it home. If we truly understand the definition of HOME, he did make it home – his permanent home.

There is not a day since then that I have not thought about him. I have wanted to write a blog but honestly, have struggled for the right words. Today I re-read my blog post from Dec. 31, 2019 where I spoke about holding my new-born granddaughter (born on Christmas Day).

Holding that child in my arms gave me such an amazing sense of the miracle of birth. I could feel my little granddaughter breathing as she lay on my chest. She is so tiny and completely dependent on someone else for pretty much everything, except breathing. Thankfully, she is breathing quite well on her own.

Word4Now – Dec. 31, 2019

The reality is that even the breath we have was given by God. As I re-read that blog, my mind went to the evening of Sept. 10, when the breath went from Brad.

I then thought about Dr. Ken Boa who said, “You cannot live in two worlds simultaneously.” He described “womb world” as a place where the baby has everything it needs and therefore, has no desire to leave that place. However, we must die to “womb world” in order to live in this larger world – Earth. He goes on to say, “We were never meant to stay in that womb – to stay there would be the way of death and the birth canal is the death to ‘womb world’ but birth to a larger, wider world (another larger, wider womb).

Is the world we live in now, as it is, our home? Is this where we were meant to live? We are not in the land of the living; we are in the land of the dying, but we are going to the land of the living! Death is actually a second birth canal that opens up a larger, wider world.

Restoration Requires Wreckage

Have you watched some of the home Reno shows, where a couple agrees to have their kitchen wrecked? In most cases, the kitchen was functioning fine, but the homeowners wanted to update it, make it new and even improve how it functions. This illustrates the perspective that we need to have and what we all look forward to in our future as believers. Brad’s body was “wrecked” on that ride, but wreckage is required to bring restoration.

A week before the accident, I started a home Bible Study using Randy Alcorn’s book titled Heaven. It has made me realize that we say many things that are not biblically accurate.

What I wrote above is a prime example: “When I spoke with Brad (in July), I didn’t realize it would be the last conversation I would have with him.” If we understand the theology that Brad taught us, the truth is: we will walk with Brad again on the New Earth. We will have resurrected bodies and we will talk with him … the life we have now continues into eternity.

Randy Alcorn says,

“We need to carefully reform our vocabulary to express what’s actually true. If we don’t, we will ultimately fail to think biblically and continue to embrace predominant stereotypes of Heaven.”

Randy Alcorn, Heaven, p. 136

Do you remember Brad’s passion and ultimate goal? Making thinkers believe and believers think.

Let me suggest two ways to continue Brad’s legacy:

  • Determine to “consciously correct our vocabulary so it conforms to revealed biblical truth.”

The realization that the present heaven (where Brad is now) will change and will one day come down to the New Earth is eye opening and is helping me process what has happened in 2022. Our daughter shared very encouraging words to me this past month: “I can’t wait to see you and Brad walking together again having a life chat” (referring to our time together on the new earth in our resurrected bodies). I am looking forward to my next conversation with you, Brad!

For now we hold on to these captured memories!

When Sparks Fly

When Sparks Fly

After reading the “verse of the day” on my YouVersion Bible app (one day last week), I made this post based on a verse that is familiar to many:

Iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

Proverbs 27:17 NLT

Do you have a goal to be sharper, to become better at your craft? That means a willingness to be critiqued, even if critics may not have the best intentions. Instead of feeling hurt because we are hearing criticism, we could see this criticism as an opportunity for growth. Criticism has come in my life, and I have felt like my best was not good enough, so the criticism was at first, not helpful to me. It was only after moving past the hurt feelings I was able to see that the critique was meant to improve me.

Differences of opinion can cause sparks to fly in relationships, but maybe the other person does have a point. What can be learned from this difference?

Why are the sparks flying? Is it not to make the instrument sharper? We often take what is being said personally and are hurt by it, rather than accept it as a refining moment to make us sharper.

If we dig deeper, we’ll discover that there is value in the sparks, particularly because the sparks provide evidence that something is being filed away from us. If that something remains, it means we are not being sharpened. It is for this very reason:

You can trust a friend who corrects you.

Proverbs 27:6a CEV
https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/

The sharper the tool, the better it functions and the easier the work becomes. If the axe is not sharp, you will work much harder to cut down the tree. If you are iron that is not connecting with iron that is different than you, you are missing out on becoming sharper.

Maybe this idea of becoming sharper best defines the purpose in coming together with other people – it’s to motivate others, or to make others sharper, moving them toward specific actions.

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

Hebrews 10:24 NLT

In the verse that follows (Heb. 10:25), we are instructed about “not neglecting to meet together.” Maybe the very purpose of our coming together is: “to motivate one another,” in essence sharpening one another. I have often heard the instruction about “assembling ourselves together” as the church, gathering for fellowship which is good, but it may not be the best or even the biblical reason to come together. By coming together, we may get to know our neighbour better, but the higher purpose is to become sharper, motivated because there was an interaction together as friends.

When Cathy and I first started to date, it was because we felt we had so much in common and enjoyed one another’s company. Now, after being together married for 36+ years, the differences have become more evident and personality tests have confirmed we are more opposite than alike. Interestingly, despite our personality differences, we still have some important things in common, like our passion for ministry and love for family. Our differences have served to sharpen each of us, but we first needed to understand that criticism was not meant to hurt, but to improve one another.

So my advice is this: Let’s get together and let the sparks fly so we can become sharper – that way we don’t have to work as hard!

What Is Your Legacy?

What Is Your Legacy?

Every month, I am involved in a Kingdom Advisors Study Group and January’s focus is on legacy.

Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.

J.W. Whitehead from Exploring Stewardship section of The Stewardship Study Bible

Did you know that there are three kinds of legacy!

1. The Legacy We Received

Father’s Day 2006 with my Grandfather, Arch Woodworth

When considering the legacy I received, my thoughts immediately went to my grandfather, Arch Woodworth, who has been described as “a good man.” He was consistent in his work, loved his Lord and maybe without realizing it, was an example to me. I remember as a child seeing him stand in church and quote: “Be not weary in well doing, for in due season you will reap if you faint not.” He lived that verse; it was part of the fabric of who he was.

As a financial advisor, when I was asked about my family background (particularly when doing business on the Baie Verte peninsula), I would often share who my grandfather was and that he had worked in Advocate mines. When they knew whose grandson I was, it created an immediate connection of trust because of him. That’s part of the legacy I received.

2. The Legacy We Leave

As we age, we think more deeply about the legacy we will leave. What will our children and grandchildren receive from us? A similar word for legacy is inheritance, which is what you receive from another person, usually through a legal document, like a will. We can leave a financial legacy which can be valued by our heirs, but Ron Blue says, it is important to transfer wisdom before you transfer wealth. In his book, Splitting Heirs, Ron warns;

The worst thing you can do is to pass wealth if you haven’t passed wisdom. Good stewardship includes not only providing for your family, but also being sure that every family knows how to manage that provision.

Ron Blue, Splitting Heirs, p.71

3. The Legacy We Live

This may be the most challenging, but because you are reading this today, it means that you still have an opportunity to live out your legacy. One activity we did with our adult children was to ask them to think of 5 words that would describe our values as a family. This provided a significant opportunity for conversation and helped reveal what we have lived as parents. Words such as compassion, respect, delight, authenticity, and fun-loving were some of the values shared.

Surprisingly, all of the kids chose one word in common and that was “generosity.” You may have heard the phrase, “sometimes things are more often caught than taught.” That was the case here because even though mine and Cathy’s lists did not include that word, our children had seen it lived out. That’s when your values actually become virtues.

We may hold generosity as a value, but the virtue is behaving generously. Alignment occurs when we transform our values into virtues. Simply identifying our primary values is not sufficient. The next step is to define more precisely how we intend to embody the values in our daily lives – regardless of external pressures.

Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, The Power of Full Engagement

Take the time to ponder the questions in these four areas of legacy as you pass on the wisdom you have acquired in life.

1. Personal Legacy Question:

What will you be remembered for? You will leave a legacy whether it is by design or by default.

2. Family Legacy Questions:

Are you intentional to build into, or live out the values that represent your family? Have you discussed your family values and codified your family vision/mission statement?

3. Financial Legacy Questions:

Considering your financial legacy, what do you hope your inheritance will accomplish in the lives of your heirs? How prepared are your children to receive an inheritance?

4. Charitable Legacy Questions:

What are your current giving practices? If you are leaving money to charity, are your children the ones to give it away and are they trained and prepared for such a task?

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.

Psalm 90:12 NLT

Happy New Year – A Choice or a Greeting

As we enter a new year, we tend to greet each other with the term, “Happy New Year” but I have been wondering if these words are better suited as a choice rather than a greeting. After all, we cannot control what will happen in the coming year.

http://www.KingdomAdvisors.com

The sad reality is that we may face difficult circumstances in 2022 that will bring grief rather than happiness. One Kingdom Advisor in NB shared with me during the holiday season that his wife’s cancer has returned; the news from the doctor is anything but positive and he is afraid he may lose the love of his life at some point this year.

Another advisor in AB suffered a brain bleed and was rushed to hospital just before Christmas. She posted this on Christmas Eve:

“I have a new joy. I have life. Dec 13th about 9:15, I had a headache like I have never experienced.

I knew I was in trouble almost immediately. As I crawled the hallway, the prompting, tell the 911 operator the door code. They can get you. Just rest now. I felt the Angels with me. They kept me safe and my heart at peace.

Since then, I have been told I am of the most unlikely to have survived this. Only 25% survive. 1 in 5 have no known cause and that is me.

I am so ready to count my blessings, treasure my loved ones and many dear friends, and to help those I have been entrusted to work with after a little time to fully heal.

Beyond blessed, beyond grateful, and weeping again.

On Boxing Day she posted some “post event observations” …

“In life there will be times we disagree with each other. Sadly this often leaves a broken relationship even amongst people that dearly loved one another. One of the many blessings to come of this medical event is healing in some of these breaks. It’s made it worth going through! It’s been a life changing time but for the better.“

It seems that the events of our lives, no matter how challenging, are really meant to be opportunities, even though it may be difficult to see it that way at the time.

When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

James 1:2-4 (NLT)

Jesus himself gave us the ultimate example of endurance: “in view of the joy lying before Him endured the cross …” (Hebrews 12:2 Berean Literal Bible). We have to determine our difficulties to be an opportunity for joy. Therefore, “Happy New Year” is not merely a greeting, but a choice we make in life.

Make 2022 your best year ever. Life is so very worth the living.