Life Is Hard

“Life is hard, short and then you die!”

These were the words of a man who had lost all hope and I listened to his diatribe every time I went to visit him in the nursing home. He was angry for good cause. His legs had stopped working, he had to be attached to oxygen and took more pills than he thought possible. His question was, “How could God do this to me?”

One day I walked into the nursing home and he was in the lounge area. Sitting beside him in a wheelchair with an oxygen tube attached to her nose was a smiling lady about his age. She was also a member of my congregation so I greeted them both. They had known each other all their lives.

He started his familiar “Life is hard, short and then you die,” bit and she piped up and said, “That is true but God never abandons us.” He turned and looked at his long time friend. She continued, “During my darkest moments on my journey in life I felt the strength and love of God right there with me.” He said, “I never felt that.” She reached out and touched his arm and told him, “You never paid attention.”  

Life is hard, short and then you die but God is always with us.