Living In The Now But Looking Forward To The New

Living In The Now But Looking Forward To The New

We are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. Philippians 3:20-21

Next up on the day’s schedule was an appointment for two brothers. Seeing two siblings at once isn’t unusual in my family practice, but when I opened their charts, I saw that these brothers were a special pair.

The boys were busy bantering when I walked in, but their mother was on a mission. She got right to the point.

“Robby and Randy need a new primary care physician to help manage their muscular dystrophy. Our old doctor retired, but he said you should be able to take care of them.”

“I’d be honored and delighted to do that for you,” I said.

“Thank you for working us into your practice,” she said. “Ever since their dad died a few years ago, we depend a lot on our family and friends to help us.”

The boys were intelligent and kind, and I could see they had not let their disability get the better of them. They used every ounce of battery juice and every inch of tire tread on their wheelchairs to explore the world around them.

“Both boys are trapped in crippled bodies by that terrible disease,” their mother said. “But there’s also a light that shines from deep within both of them.”

“That’s because we know that one day we’ll have new bodies,” Robby said.

“We can’t wait for Jesus to give us new legs, so we can run to meet him,” Randy added.

“I get it,” I said. “And I’m here to help you have the healthiest journey you can until the day you exchange those wheels for strong legs.”

Eventually, we all have parts of our mortal bodies that don’t work the way we’d like. For most of us, it isn’t as drastic as muscular dystrophy. But we can all look forward to the day when our mortal bodies are transformed and renewed. Until then, I want to live every day like these brothers—aware of my limitations, but living life fully in spite of them.

TODAY’S RX

Even as you wait for a new body in eternity, live your life to the fullest.

Jesus, thank you for my body—for its strengths and its weaknesses. Its strengths help me to live more fully for you, and its weaknesses help me to depend on you. May I always treat my body with care.