Taken from a blog Posted on September 12, 2016

A very dear friend of mine is living through the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease.   I see firsthand how this ugly disease robs a person of the very essence of life.   Our lifetime of warm and caring friendship is gone; she has no idea who I might be.

Aging is a natural process, yet each of us ages in a manner that is unique to us.   We develop maladies that are distinctively ours.   For some walking becomes increasingly difficult. Others have trouble breathing.  Vision may weaken; hearing fade; and physical strength ebb.  I don’t mean to be the pessimist here, but a look around the congregation will pretty much confirm the picture.

It’s sad, but sometimes illness makes us feel less than beautiful.  There are times when our limited abilities or health restrictions make us feel like an inconvenience to others, sometimes just plain useless.  Ah, but remember the verse from Ecclesiastes, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”  In God’s eyes we are all beautiful, just as we are.

As we walk together here at Joy we will encounter many chronic physical conditions and limitations.  Some will be obvious.  Others may be more hidden — pain, confusion, or weakness that isn’t evident to the eye.  Lord, help us to be perceptive, to be open to listening, to offer comfort to each other.

When we look around the pews on Sunday morning, when we read the names of folks on the prayer list, or when we simply browse through the faces in our photo directory –think about it, each and every one is “beautiful in God’s eyes.”   Now let’s make each one beautiful in our eyes too!

Remember God is with you every day, and you are beautiful to Him because God loves you unconditionally.

Judy