Joy in Suffering (Jn 14:6) by Ed Heigl

03 May Joy in Suffering (Jn 14:6) by Ed Heigl

Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB). Leaders. Guest Authors.
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“Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me” ~ Jn 14:6 (full readings)
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Ed’s Reflections: The way to Jesus respects the dignity of all human life from the unborn to the sick, those with special needs and the elderly.  I now fall in the category of the sick, a place that I never expected to be; not for someone who could run a mile in just about 4 minutes and had pristine health. But here I am almost a year into my cancer treatments for stage 4 rectal and liver cancer and what should I (we) fear as He is the Way, the Truth and the Path to eternal life.  It is hard to understand, but there is joy in suffering for the Lord.  This baffles reason, but it is true. What a gift it is to be able to run for Christ and to be on God’s team. To be able to live like every day could be your last can be looked at as a burden, or as a gift.  It is our free will to decide to accept God’s gift in order to bring us and other people, by our witness, closer to Him. If we combine our will of acceptance in union with God’s, how can we lose in our race for eternal life?
* Ed Heigl is the Area Director of Operations for Spectrum Retirement Communities in St. Louis.  Over the last 33 years he has dedicated himself to the elderly and the dying, to give them respect and human dignity.  He has been married to Beth for 31 years and has three adopted children:  Alex 17,  Addie 15 and John 9 years old.
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Faith Challenge: Pray  that others may see the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit through us as we witness His love and saving grace by the way that we live our lives.
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Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel.
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Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion. LIFE Runners Creed. Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day: Sts. Philip and James 
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Faith Quote: “I have fought the good fight to the end: I have run the race to the finish: I have kept the faith.” ~ 2 Tm 4:7
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Through Christ our Lord,
Ed