About a year ago, I found myself getting out of breath quite easily.

Sometimes my upper legs would burn as I carried a heavy object up a hill.

My stomach would often hurt after even a small meal.

But, I didn’t have much of an appetite anyway, so I was eating less and less.

At night, I couldn’t relax my legs, and sleep, which had always come easily for me, did not. I was taking melatonin every night and still found a period of wakefulness hitting me around 2 or 3 am.

I knew that some of this was a sign of aging (I am nearly 69), but it had come on fairly quickly, and it was very different for me.

My endurance had really declined, and I was waking up tired the next day.

“I praise you, Oh God, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139:14

So, July 1st, this year, I had an accident at work (not related to these maladies) that got me admitted to the hospital.

While there, I was discovered to be anemic (that explained a lot) and the doctor said that it doesn’t just happen, there has to be a cause.

A colonoscopy a few weeks later, followed by a C-T scan, found one lone cancer in my colon.

Mr. C had moved in without invitation, hiding in my “house”, messing with the controls.

He had to be taken out.

This week, on Monday, I stripped down, put on their flimsy robe that only slightly gives you the sense that you are not completely naked, and put myself into the hands of the surgeon and his nurses, and the hospital staff.

When my eyes closed at 1:00 and opened five minutes later at 4:00, they told me that the trespasser had been evicted, but I had had to lose a bit of my “house” because he had “chained” himself to the bed.

So, I was a little bit sore. (A lot.)

Two days later, I went home.

My appetite was back, but I could only eat liquids for a few days.

My stomach didn’t hurt after a meal.

My pain reduced to only the spot of the largest incision, and that was, for the most part, easily bearable.

Sleep through the night was sweet, even up to 10 hours. (My pattern for years had been 6, or 7 at the most).

When I told Wendy about this on the third day at home, she said, “You know what? I haven’t heard you snore since the surgery!”

If you want to make me laugh (it still hurts a little to laugh), tell me that this body I live in for now came about through a random, mindless evolutionary process.

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;

to search out a matter is the glory of kings.” Proverb 25:2

“For the life of the creature is in the blood….” Leviticus 17:11

It was through the blood tests, initially, that my problem was revealed.

I was ignoring signs that my Creator had built in to tell me something was wrong with my body.

It is designed to work efficiently, to rest easily, to restore its strength, to figure things out, to create,to grow, to love.

You might say, “In the image of God, He created them.”

There are always signs that something is wrong; in our bodies,

and in our world.

Ignoring the signs does not fix anything.

Placing youself into the hands of the One who made you is a really good place to start.

Don’t make me laugh.

Don’t be blind to the wonders that are constantly showing themselves to you.

Let Him take you to the purpose He has made you for.

For, you, too, are fearfully and wonderfully made.