For six weeks we had a very sick dog. She was miserable. Our problem was her nose was wet and cold. Her mouth was nice and pink. Blood tests revealed strong normal organ functions. And yet she walked ever so slowly with her tail and head competing to see which could droop lower. She would cry in anticipation of being bumped. Finally on the vet’s third visit (our vet makes house calls) she tested her for a disease that should have revealed itself with a fever and chills. We were getting desperate. Bingo. There it was anaplasmosis. She’s better now.
I have known people with “cold wet noses.” By all outward appearances they should have been having a great life. They were physically healthy, financially stable, had a great career, had great personal relationships and yet they were miserable. They didn’t know what was wrong. Finally we found it. They were so happy they were miserable. I know it sounds impossible. It is the ultimate oxymoron. They were miserable because they had Solomon’s disease. They had no meaning in their lives. They were afraid it was all going to come to an end.
The truth is it was going to end because they had never met Jesus. No matter how successful and how well managed our lives can be, they will end. All the IRA’s, all the education, all the endowments given, all mean nothing in the grand scheme of things unless we can be assured of always being in the Grand Scheme of Things. In John 5 Jesus promises us we can cross over from death to life. Eternity is ours. It is then and only then that everything has real meaning. It is then that we experience true happiness.
Written by Roger Bothwell on November 12, 2014
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, Ca 94574
Rogerbothwell.org