Father, I want my life to show a quiet patience that points people to you.

Accepting the Journey What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You've heard, of course, of Job's staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That's because God cares, cares right down to the last detail. —JAMES 5:10-11, MSG When my father died, my sister Sandra and her husband, Reid, bought the house next door to theirs and made a home for my mother. The plan was that, as Mother got older, Sandra would take care of her. In the providence of God, however, my mother ended up taking care of my sister. At the age of fifty-three, my sister discovered she had cancer. With each passing year her condition worsened, and at fifty-eight she went home to be with Christ. During those five years, I watched Sandra face adversity with patience. In the early stages, she drove herself to treatments and took my mother along for companionship. As her condition worsened, she accepted help from her husband and friends who volunteered to drive her to appointments. As long as she was able, she baby-sat her grandson. When Sandra's energy level would no longer permit baby-sitting, she let go of that grandmotherly pleasure. Sandra wanted to live, yet never once did I hear her complain. She patiently accepted the journey that was laid out before her, demonstrating her confidence that whether she lived or died, her life was pointing people toward Christ. I can only pray that when the time comes, I will demonstrate the same level of patience that I saw in Sandra's life. I believe such patience is a gift of God, given to those who are willing to accept it.