I’m always surprised when I hear Suzanne say “I’m on borrowed time”. We could be chatting in the car, watching the tube, or just out on the front porch swing when she makes that statement. Each time she says it, I hear a sense of mortality in her voice as well as gratitude about the fact that she is still here with me.

So what does it mean when we say ‘Borrowed Time”? An online definition said it was to “continue to exist longer than expected”. No doubt about it, that’s the definition her oncologist, surgeon, and all those who have been a part of her care would apply. If you were a gambler back when this all started and bet the odds on Suzanne, you would have lost your shirt. I even think her doctors might have taken that bet, and now she knows it. But they didn’t really know her, and they don’t know her greater connections. Even so, I’m sure that knowledge weighs heavy on her heart.

I mentioned Suzanne’s sense of mortality. There’s something about a life-altering experience that changes your perspective of how precious life really is. And for her, it’s not just life, but how God put together this vessel we live in. We all take for granted how each part of the body works with other parts to accomplish the wonderful life we live. The simple act of swallowing food is so automatic that it doesn’t even cross our minds as we eat. That simple act has become a mental challenge for Suzanne, a challenge she addresses daily with the knowledge that her life depends on beating that challenge.

Her gratitude comes from the care she received at Rush University and Hospital, but mostly, from the divine intervention that guided the hands that cared for her and also touched her personally. That divine hand ensured her success and enabled her to continue to taste, something that her surgeon questions in disbelief every time we visit.

Anyway, back to the thought of borrowed time. I’m sure, just like me, when you borrow something, you’re expected to give it back. It might be a tool from a friend, a truck to haul something, or even the preverbal cup of sugar. When you return the item, somehow, you re-pay the lender with little something, a hardy handshake, a six-pack of beer, or even take them out to dinner. You always give a little more than what you borrowed, kind of like interest.

So, aren’t we all on borrowed time? Isn’t every hour of every day a gift whether you have cancer or not? Don’t we all owe our daily existence to God? Somehow, watching living proof in Suzanne has made me want to do more, more for her, more for those around me, my church, and my community. I guess it’s my way of paying some of the interest on the time Suzanne has borrowed.

The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;

Psalm 37:21