‘He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.’ Ecclesiastes 3:11
With the autumn equinox, we find ourselves letting go of another summer. While we’ll miss the warmth and the light evenings, there’s a quiet beauty in what comes next.
Even for those of us not bound by the academic calendar, there's something in the crisp air and shifting light that stirs a sense of renewal. An invitation to pause, take stock, and begin again.
It’s been a busy summer here at The Leprosy Mission, and so I took a day off on Monday to rest and recharge. Sitting outside with a coffee in 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 true Leprosy Mission hero. As a young orthopaedic surgeon, he moved to India in 1946 to teach at a hospital in Vellore. It was there he first encountered people affected by leprosy — and they touched his heart in a profound way.
So much so, he devoted himself to researching treatments that could restore movement to hands and feet frozen by leprosy. His pioneering reconstructive surgery techniques are still used in our hospitals around the world 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 stay in the sky, he found himself thinking, “well, this 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 in the sun, I found myself wondering how I would feel if there was no Leprosy Mission for me tomorrow. What if I was newly retired with no inbox full of emails to return to. What then? Where would my sense of purpose or, even, identity lie?
God says there is a season for everything. He also promised in Ecclesiastes that He makes everything beautiful in its time.
God always has a plan for us. We can trust that when one door closes, another will open. It might not open immediately — there may be a season of waiting. But so often, it is in that waiting that we encounter God in the most powerful way.
I am reminded of one of 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 because of a cancer diagnosis which needed invasive treatment.
We had phone conversations every few months and one day I asked how she felt about her ‘battle’ with illness. She said something that stopped me in my tracts, “Peter, I do not battle with my diagnosis. I embrace my diagnosis in the love of God and all that goes with knowing and experiencing the love of God. I am blessed with the grace of God in the widest sense possible.'
What an incredible response.
Life can be painful. It can be filled 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 little sobering, but I don’t think anyone makes it through life without encountering deep valleys. The good news is that God is never absent — not even for a moment. Even when we can’t feel Him, He is there. It’s about trusting Him in the highs and in the lows.
Paul Brand says in his book that Jesus is not concerned with the number of our days, only that we should live a full life - body, soul and spirit. This earthly life is just a moment in the vastness of eternity.
Each of us moves through seasons. The key is to give ourselves fully to the one we’re in. To make the most of every opportunity God puts in front of us. As I reflected on this, I began to feel deeply grateful for the season I’m in right now, working for The Leprosy Mission, standing on the shoulders of giants like Dr Paul Brand.
I then came to the joyful conclusion that God has another season planned for me after this one. I might not know what it is yet, but He does! And the same is true for every one of us.
Peter Waddup is Chief Executive of The Leprosy Mission.
