Having completed the medication prescribed on an earlier doctor’s visit, and feeling very little relief, I called his office and was told they would “work me in” that afternoon. Wisely, I took along a book: Liz Cutis Higgs’ 31 Proverbs to Light Your Path. The focus of the chapter was Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” While reading Liz’s comments on this verse, I had to confess that my heart was anything but cheerful. Twenty-one days of illness had worn down my body as well as my spirit.

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I was diagnosed with MS about 14 years ago. The good news, that I found out immediately, is that there is medicine that can help me cope with all of the symptoms and maybe even help stay in remission. This wasn’t always the case! The bad news is that all of the medical treatment options were needles– injections. I don’t like needles, like a lot of people. In fact, I’ve passed out at just the sight of a needle before. I thought this was a cruel joke! I did it every day, took that shot, that needle, which was going to keep me in remission. It never did, but I kept trying different medication options. Always needles.

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Just for a moment, think what it would be like if one day you chanced upon a person who was trying to figure out what are the most important things to know in life. You would be given the task of helping that person decipher this. What would you say?

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When it comes to daily time in the Word and prayer, we have a lot of reasons why it might not happen. “I know I should read my Bible every day, but I get distracted and forget.” “I meant to spend time in prayer but the kids just never give me a minute.” “I’m too busy.” We may not say these things out loud, but either we think them or we unconsciously believe them. What comes next in this cycle? Guilt, regret, lament. We are pitiful creatures that way.

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If you know me socially or personally, a fair depiction of me is that I am an extrovert—gregarious and sociable. However, I am not that entirely. My oomph comes from being by myself, in the Word and with Jesus. My heart delights in this time. Unfortunately, I fall short, bigtime, when it comes to making and/or taking time to just be me, in the quiet, with Him.

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Age is a funny thing. It has the power to make us feel powerful and important, or weak and incapable. Feeling “old” or “young” can have remarkable consequences for how we treat ourselves and others. Whether it’s the naivete of a teenager, the wisdom (or stodginess) of the retired, or the whirl-wind that is the “prime of life,” the world judges us by the number of years we’ve been alive.

But it’s just a number, right?

Well, I just turned 30. Honestly, I feel just how I thought I would feel.

And nothing like I thought I would feel.

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