‘He has made every little thing beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity within the human heart; yet nobody can fathom what God has done from starting to finish.’ Ecclesiastes 3:11
With the autumn equinox, we discover ourselves letting go of one other summer. While we’ll miss the heat and the sunshine evenings, there’s a quiet beauty in what comes next.
Even for those of us not certain by the educational calendar, there’s something within the crisp air and shifting light that stirs a way of renewal. An invitation to pause, take stock, and start again.
It’s been a busy summer here at The Leprosy Mission, and so I took a time off on Monday to rest and recharge. Sitting outside with a coffee within the gentle September sunshine, my thoughts turned to a book I’d been reading, Ten Fingers for God by Dr Paul Brand.
Paul Brand is a real Leprosy Mission hero. As a young orthopaedic surgeon, he moved to India in 1946 to show at a hospital in Vellore. It was there he first encountered people affected by leprosy — they usually touched his heart in a profound way.
So much so, he devoted himself to researching treatments that would restore movement to hands and feet frozen by leprosy. His pioneering reconstructive surgery techniques are still utilized in our hospitals world wide today — giving independence and dignity.
In his book, Paul recalls a moment when he was flying in a small aircraft during poor weather. As the plane struggled to remain within the sky, he found himself pondering, “well, that is it then.” But he wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t even particularly disturbed. He wrote that he had never thought the length of life mattered much — only its quality.
That really challenged me.
As I sat within the sun, I discovered myself wondering how I’d feel if there was no Leprosy Mission for me tomorrow. What if I used to be newly retired with no inbox stuffed with emails to return to. What then? Where would my sense of purpose or, even, identity lie?
God says there may be a season for every little thing. He also promised in Ecclesiastes that He makes every little thing beautiful in its time.
God all the time has a plan for us. We can trust that when one door closes, one other will open. It may not open immediately — there could also be a season of waiting. But so often, it’s in that waiting that we encounter God in probably the most powerful way.
I’m reminded of one in all our former trustees, who worked overseas for The Leprosy Mission. She returned to the UK and served on the Board for some years. She retired due to a cancer diagnosis which needed invasive treatment.
We had phone conversations every few months and sooner or later I asked how she felt about her ‘battle’ with illness. She said something that stopped me in my tracts, “Peter, I don’t battle with my diagnosis. I embrace my diagnosis within the love of God and all that goes with knowing and experiencing the love of God. I’m blessed with the grace of God within the widest sense possible.’
What an incredible response.
Life may be painful. It may be crammed with loneliness, loss, and moments of despair. God doesn’t cause these situations, but He does use them to shape us. It might sound a bit of sobering, but I don’t think anyone makes it through life without encountering deep valleys. The excellent news is that God isn’t absent — not even for a moment. Even when we will’t feel Him, He is there. It’s about trusting Him within the highs and within the lows.
Paul Brand says in his book that Jesus shouldn’t be concerned with the variety of our days, only that we must always live a full life – body, soul and spirit. This earthly life is only a moment within the vastness of eternity.
Each of us moves through seasons. The secret is to present ourselves fully to the one we’re in. To benefit from every opportunity God puts in front of us. As I reflected on this, I started to feel deeply grateful for the season I’m in at once, working for The Leprosy Mission, standing on the shoulders of giants like Dr Paul Brand.
I then got here to the joyful conclusion that God has one other season planned for me after this one. I may not know what it’s yet, but He does! And the identical is true for each one in all us.
Peter Waddup is Chief Executive of The Leprosy Mission.
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