But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out! (1 Timothy 6:6,7)

At age 14, Andrea Jaeger won her first professional tennis tournament. At 18, she reached the finals at Wimbledon. At 19, a bad shoulder all but put an end to her career. Many a world-class athlete may have become bitter or discontented with life at that point. Jaeger, however, turned her competitive spirit to a new endeavor, a nonprofit organization called Kid’s Stuff Foundation that attempts to bring joy to children suffering from cancer and other life threatening illnesses. Her work there has also inspired her to take correspondence studies in nursing and child psychology.

Jaeger not only created the program, but runs it full time, year-round, unpaid. “I’m inspired by these brave kids, and humbled,” she has said. “They lose their health, their friends, and sometimes their lives. And yet their spirit never wavers. They look at life as a gift. The rest of us sometimes look at ourselves as a gift to life.”

“You get very spoiled on a professional tour,” she adds with a twinkle in her eye. “The courtesy cars, the five-star hotels, the thousands of people clapping for you when you hit a good shot. It’s easy to forget what’s important in life...I forget it a lot less lately.”

Merciful Creator, open our eyes to a truer meaning of the life You have given us. Let us open our hearts to those who need love around us!