He spoke three simple sentences and I understood why my injuries are permanent. Every hard moment, all the pain, had prepared me to walk beside my son. In a heartbeat, it was worth it. A decade later, it still is.

Pushing our pain aside...diminishes our human experience.

In the midst of pain, we begin to understand the price Jesus paid for our salvation.

Could illness and pain hold greater purpose than we imagine?

Maybe it's less about what we can do than about how much we can love. More about walking with others through the pain than seeking a solution for the pain. Maybe presence is our greater purpose.

God has graciously sewn laughter into our days, bright moments tucked among the shadows of illness and pain, and while those moments don't change our circumstances, they can lessen our pain and shift our hearts toward joy.