1028) When I was in college, one thing we were required to do was a type of community service that many institutions now require, only these “services” were of the spiritual nature. One assignment I had was to visit patients in a nursing home, reading to them from the Bible, encouraging them, etc. I found these weekly visits both inspiring and horrifying. I saw many who longed to have me read from Bible passages that describe what it will be like in the next life. I saw so much suffering, illness, loneliness and even despair because these people knew what Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians 5:1-2; that our earthy bodies are timebound.

As we age, it becomes very clear that our bodies are not made up of eternal parts. We wear out, get sick, grow slower, and our minds sometimes fill with fog, making our memories harder to find. If we focus only on these things (and many of us spend a huge amount of time doing this), we can find ourselves in the quicksand of despair.

What do we do if we are trapped in this quicksand? We continually remind ourselves that though we “groan” in this life, we have hope because what is next is eternally good. We will leave our old and worn-out bodies and be given new ones that work exactly as they should. That is wonderful!

If you are in the quicksand of despair, look within reach and grab the rope of faith and pull yourself out. It’s an unnecessary hardship.