Some days, I just hurt. I hurt so badly that it’s difficult to tell where the pain is coming from, let alone what to do to make it better. Some days, there’s no easy way around or through it. We work with our doctors, we do what we can, but, inevitably, we realize there is just no easy way.

This reminds me of Luke 18:25. In response to the rich official’s question about what he must do to “inherit eternal life,” Jesus told him he had to sell all he had and distribute it to the poor. The man was despondent, which prompted Jesus to say, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

Now, many people with chronic illness are not rich at all, so it is not even a question for them to give up their great wealth to the poor. But, perhaps, Jesus is making a broader point: Entering the kingdom of God is not something to consider lightly, and the way to get there is not necessarily easy.

In fact, it is not easy at all.

There can be many things we are reluctant to give up in order to live as Our Lord would have us live. We don’t want to give up feeling well, because feeling sick is, well, a pain. We don’t want to give up complete mobility, independence, or other “treasures.”

We don’t want to suffer. We don’t want to feel pain.

But, as we saw with God’s only Son, suffering is part of the human experience. Our Lord did it, and He did it completely. What a challenge – and what a demonstration of pure love!

There is a camel in all of us, ready to do what God wills us to do. And with His love, support, and overwhelming strength, we can get through the “not so easy parts” and, yes, enter His kingdom, rejoicing!

Blessings for the day,

Maureen