Charlie entered the conference room for the annual company meeting. With so many folks working remotely, this was the only time he got to see some of his coworkers in person. He scanned the room and his gaze landed on Megan Johnson. They’d worked together on several projects, but since she’d moved to Dallas two months earlier, he hadn’t seen her. He crossed the room and tapped her on the shoulder.        

Megan’s face lit with a smile. “Charlie! How are you? And how are things at the Philly office?”

Charlie shrugged. “Same old, same old. But what about you? How’s your new and exciting life in Dallas? Have you found a new church yet?”

Megan’s face fell. “It’s not so exciting. Yes, I’m in a different place, but it’s literally the same job I was doing in Philly. I don’t know anyone nearby, and since most folks are working remotely, I haven’t gotten to know many coworkers. It’s not like it was when we all worked together in the Philly office, with potlucks and chatting around the water cooler.” She frowned. “And no, I haven’t looked for a new church yet. The idea of going somewhere else where I don’t know anyone is scary. I’m just taking things day by boring day.”

Charlie gave Megan’s arm a squeeze. “I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll pray for you to find a church home and for your life to feel more rewarding. It sounds like you’re sleepwalking through life right now.”

Megan’s smile was sad. “Wow, when you put it that way, it seems pretty depressing. Come on, they’re about to get started, and we don’t want to get stuck in the front row.”

                                                                              ~*~

One year later

Charlie scanned the conference room, but didn’t see Megan’s long blond hair anywhere. Maybe she hadn’t made it this year. He filled his coffee cup and turned toward the rows of seats. A moment later, a woman with short, curly hair waved a hand in front of his face.

 “Charlie, weren’t you going to say hi?”

Charlie blinked. “Megan? Is that you? Your hair is so different. And you look like you’ve lost weight.”

Megan nodded. “Chemo will do that to you. When my hair started growing back about 6 weeks ago, it came back darker and curly. The weight loss was an unfortunate side effect.”

Charlie took a step back. “Chemo? Oh, man. What happened?”

Megan led him into a row of chairs in the middle of the room and took a seat. “About a week after I saw you last year, they found a suspicious spot on my annual mammogram. It turned out to be cancer. I had surgery, radiation, and just finished my last round of chemo six weeks ago. But there’s no trace of the cancer left.”

Charlie settled into the seat next to Megan. “Wow. That’s terrible. I’m so glad you’re OK now, but I can’t believe you had to go through all that. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m not.”

Charlie’s mouth dropped open. “What do you mean?”

“Cancer was my wake-up call. I’d been sleep-walking through life, as you so eloquently put it last year. God allowed cancer to touch me because He knew it would shape me into a stronger person. He introduced me to Joanna, an amazing nurse who prayed with me every week. She got me plugged into a local church, into a women’s Bible study, and now I’m teaching a Sunday school class. I have a wonderful community of friends now, and we spend weekends going on adventures all throughout the Dallas area. I’ve even started writing a book about what I went through.”

“That’s fantastic, Meg.”

Megan grinned. “It really is. Through that trial, I learned to depend on God, and my life is so much richer.”

Ephesians 5 :13-16

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

God, You never waste our pain. Thank You for the trials You place in our lives. If we let You, You use our trials to make us more like You. Please help us endure when life gets hard. Please help us remember You always have a plan. If we’re willing to follow Your plan, even when there’s pain, we will always come out of the other side as a better person. Help us to wake up and live life to the fullest and not take for granted the gifts You’ve given us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.