I visited a friend of mine yesterday. He’s one of the most physically strong people I know — but I also admire him for his strong will (some would say he is hard-headed). His faith has strengthened exponentially this past year. And because of it, I’ve noticed a huge positive change in his life. That change has influenced the lives of so many people around him.
Now he is ill and in the hospital.
He has a struggle ahead of him — which isn’t the first he has faced. A few years ago, he nearly died — and if he wasn’t as strong as he is, he would have. But he pushed through the pain and made a miraculous recovery. Statistically he shouldn’t have made it. But he did. Did I mention he has the strongest will I’ve ever seen in a human being?
Well, he does.
I thought about him as I did my workout this morning. I was running with a 25-lb. weight and felt like I was going to croak. I felt pain — and lots of it. But then I quit thinking about myself and started thinking about him. I focused on his strength. And I thought how he motivates so many people. I pushed through the exercise and to the next one. Pain makes you sharper and stronger. Pain makes you humble.
I am praying for my friend as he and his family walk this difficult health journey. And I am saying a prayer of gratitude for all the positive change he has brought into my life. Angels come in strange and sometimes flawed forms. But they make you change for the better. I am a better man because of my friend.
Today I feel more urgency in my life. I want to get better and make the most of my days on the earth. I want to pay the blessing he has given me forward.
All thanks to my friend.