Preston Cornelius

My “reason for hope” recently has been seeing God demonstrate that useful experience doesn’t always come with age. Your late twenties are an interesting time—you feel disconnected from youth culture, yet are often the youngest in church, work, or adult conversations. While I believe in learning from the lived experience of my elders, sometimes God doesn’t wait to provide challenges that grow us, as in my case.

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When I was in utero, I was diagnosed with a rare Congenital Heart Disease called Tetralogy of Fallot, which required open-heart surgery and will require another. Likely due to that, I was later diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease in middle school. Though I had a great childhood and little to complain about, it becomes clear at some point that most 4th graders don’t wear EKGs at school or undergo stress tests, biopsies, labs, and various interventions.

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I may be the youngest in many settings, but as the oldest of four siblings, I often saw the contrast between my health and their perfectly healthy lives—a reminder of how childhood development typically goes. As I’ve grown in age and faith, I’ve gained perspective, and eventually, I realized it’s mine to live with—so I give it to God.

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My hope now is that, while I don’t give unsolicited advice born of grizzled experience, I’ve recently had chances to use my own journey to comfort loved ones. I’m far from perfect and still very much a work in progress, but I know what it’s like to hear a hard diagnosis, weigh tough medical decisions, or sit with new specialists learning new biology in real-time. I’ve learned nothing beats God’s truth in a time of need, but a close second is having someone who’s been through something similar to share burdens with in a way that honors the specific pain and challenges of life.

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I can’t personally relate to every hardship—like parenting a prodigal child or caring for aging parents—but I know others in the church can. I’m hopeful because God has used me recently in a small way, and I know He’s using those around me every day to advance His Kingdom and turn our pain into someone else’s comfort.