Reaction to a Hard Life

When you hear all of the things that 85 year old Mrs. Nathan has been through, you will probably feel sorry for her. One tragedy after another has plagued her life, starting thirty years ago, when she was burned on over 80% of her body by a grease fire that exploded in her kitchen. It almost completely destroyed her hands, actually fusing the fingers together. Because of the acute burning, Mrs. Nathan has had over 53 surgeries to try to correct the damage to her body. That alone would make most people want to give up on life; however this fighting lady has also suffered three strokes and three heart attacks which led to her having a pacemaker implanted to regulate her heart. She has a spot on her liver that they have not been able to determine what it is. Oh and by the way, I think I forgot to mention that she also lost an eye and will be undergoing hip surgery in the near future. If that is not enough, she has lived for the last 22 years in a 500 square foot government assisted housing complex.

You might be thinking that this lady could be angry and bitter and down on life, but you would be wrong. Mrs. Nathan loves life and is an accomplished painter. She sees the beauty around her and is a delightful lady. In fact, she never has anything negative to say and is always telling everyone that the Lord has blessed her. Wow!

I want to be more like Mrs. Nathan. She is an inspiration, because if I had been through half as much as she has been through, I’m not sure if I could be as joyful and as positive as she, but I can strive to see the world through her eyes, instead of focusing on the things that may have gone wrong in my life. I will choose to look at the wonderful things God has done for me in everyday life as well as the good that He had brought out of what seems to be tragedy. Thank you Mrs. Nathan for being an example to me, a Christ-like example of how we should live our lives. 

1 Corinthians 11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Roxy--Our Adopted Best Friend

Image
Roxy was our beloved pet for 14 years. We got her for my daughter Lynn’s sixteenth birthday. Lynn had been begging for a dog and in a weak moment we agreed to her request. We decided that a pound puppy would be a good choice, so off to PetsMart we went, since they brought in a selection of puppies for adoption each weekend. Upon surveying the motley crew of dogs and cats, Lynn and I spotted a couple of cute white dogs with black and brown spots—a brother and sister pair, but we weren’t quite sure if one of them might be “the right one.” So back to the car for the next stop, and off to the humane society we went. Anytime you go to a place like that you hurt for the sad little animals just peering through the cages, longing to be grabbed up into your arms to be loved and cared for and you wish that you could take them all home. After checking out the big dogs, the small dogs, the old and the young, the hairy and even scary dogs, it was determined that none of those was meant to go home
Read more

Bavarian Cream Pie

Image
2 eggs 1/8 t salt 3/4 c scalded milk 1 c whipping cream 1 T gelatin 1/4 c cold water 1/2 c sugar 1 t vanilla Chocolate crumb crust Beat sugar and egg yolks. Then add milk and scald until it sticks to the spoon, stirring constantly. Let gelatin and cold water soak until dissolved, then add to milk and let cool. Whip cream and egg whites separately and then mix together. Mix cream and egg mixture to the milk that has been cooled. Add vanilla to mixture. When this begins to congeal, pour into chocolate crumb crust. Put into refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Sprinkle crushed crumbs over the top before serving. www.hearthope.org
Read more

Kolaches

Image
Easy Kolaches This recipe is from Judie Byrd who has a cooking school in Fort Worth, TX. It is so easy and good. 1 stick of butter or margarine 2 packages of 10 count flaky biscuits 1 can pie filing (any flavor) Topping: 6 T flour 4 T cold margarine 1/2 c sugar Separate the biscuits in half, according to the flaky layers. Dip each piece in melted butter and place on a cookie sheet. Make an indentation in the middle of each using your thumb. Put about 1 tablespoon of pie filling into the indented space. Make the topping by cutting the flour and sugar into the cold butter. Sprinkle topping over pastries. Cook at 375 degrees about 15 minutes or until good and brown. If you don't have pie filling, you can use jam. www.hearthope.org
Read more