Friends Forever

The most stunning home of your dreams, with everything perfectly adapted to your own personal taste, complete with all that most pleases the eye, ear, nose, taste, and touch, could never replace a faithful friendship. Would not life be utterly void of meaning if spent in solitude? Would not the hours seem long, empty, and silent if spent alone? Things make such dull companions! So hard and heartless! 

But true friends - how incomparably precious are they! They comfort us, encourage us, inspire us, smile, laugh, and hug! And while everything else is biting the dust, our true friends will be following us into eternity, where we will ever be with our Lord! Thank God for FRIENDS! =)

Remembering the Works of God, Part 2

I am a reflective person, liking often to be still and ponder my recent experiences, to chain events together and muse over them.

I remember dates and years of events important to me, which fill each new year with grateful memories and happy anniversaries. “Do you remember what we were doing on this very day four years ago?” A delightful conversation follows, as we piece together our memories of the day. Or I may say to a friend, “I saw you for the very first time this very day one year ago. Do you remember?” Smiles and laughter dominate our conversation as we remind each other of the preciousness of our friendship, and are amazed to rediscover the insignificant details that occasioned us to form a close bond. Or in a more sober tone, I may say to Mother, “This time two years ago, we were going through this; it seemed so hopeless, but now look how utterly the Lord has turned this around for our good! Praise the Lord!”

Many forget the past over their focus on present and future, but when an hour of darkness comes, when nothing but blind faith in the unseen, when the present seems hopeless, and the future only more so, the memory of God’s unfailing work in the past and the understanding that God knew this time was coming and has been preparing you for it – oblivious though you were – will give you the bold faith to take that step and the unshakable joy to know that this will be yet another testimony of God’s goodness and mercy in your life.

I can only say this because I have found it to be true. When the storm rages in the blackness of night, and I cannot see the Lord for the storm, I know He has me right in the palm of His hand. He covers me with His feathers and under His wings do I trust. For when the storm ceases and the morning awakens, like a quiet sunrise after a hurricane in the night, I arise, safe, unharmed, to behold the destruction and marvel at how untouched I have been. Nay, but rather blessed by the abundance of rain, which is producing for me a harvest of a hundred-fold. The Lord has used the bitter trial to shower me with blessings beyond my understanding.

But will I remember? Or will the next storm, perhaps more violent than the first, invoke an even greater fear?

“Remember His marvelous works that He hath done; His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth..." (Psalm 105:5).

My Daddy's Going Home Celebration, Part 2

Click here for Part 1. 

[ORIGINALLY WRITTEN ON OCTOBER 14, 2009] 

"We have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength, and His wonderful works that He hath done. For He hath established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments” (Psalm 78:3-7).

My daddy obeyed this command. Daily did he make known to us children God’s law, His works, and His testimonies. Some of my daddy’s last words were, “Devil, you might can kill me, but I have five [sons] more behind me and you can’t touch them.” My daddy knew from the beginning that this was a direct attack from Satan trying to kill him. And he fought that devil; oh, my daddy was such a fighter! And, praise God, the battle is not lost. Even if my daddy did not live to see what will one day be numerous grandchildren, his children will be faithful to show God’s works the next generation, even to those yet unborn. My daddy gave his life for us children, and we will give our lives back to him by standing for those things he stood for. We will continue to fight his battles, and we will be victorious. Many fights take more than a generation to win, and my daddy has been faithfully equipping and preparing his children to fight the battles of the Lord.

Just a week ago, I wrote a short “About Me” statement here on Facebook. It says, 

“I am, first and foremost, a daughter of the King. I strive to show my loyalty to my heavenly Father through my devotion to the earthly parents to whom He has entrusted me. The Holy Scriptures call children arrows in the hands of a mighty man (Psalm 127). I am a yielded arrow under the sharpening hands of my father and mother. When my brothers, sister, and I are finally released into battle, I pray that our impact will reach farther than arrows, and instead have the force of intercontinental ballistic missiles! Hoping to one day raise up my own army of children for the Lord, I pray that the saints of God everywhere will embrace the blessings of children, being fruitful, increasing abundantly, multiplying, and waxing exceeding mighty, that the earth may be filled with them (Exodus 1:7)."

What long talks I often had with my daddy! He was so faithful to sharpen me - his arrow - for battle. I would bring my thoughts, theories, and convictions to him before I would take them to anyone else. He was always so gentle to point out to me why some of the things I would say were wrong. Other things I would say he would jump all over, add his wisdom to it, and then tell his friends. That’s when I knew I had something I could share with others. These conversations have sharpened me more than anything else.

"Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will show thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee" (Deuteronomy 32:7).

About two weeks ago, my brother Joshua and I were having one of our typical theory-developing conversations about how much one can learn from listening to the conversation of older and wiser men, or more specifically, to our daddy. It was then I had one of my “what if” moments. What if several young men took the time to walk and talk with the wisest men of our time? The Bible says, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20). Before many years pass, these younger men will have gained nearly as much wisdom as took these older men a lifetime. Granted, they will not yet have the experience, but the wisdom will be there. Fast forward several decades. Then, with these same young men now being older, wiser – yea, much wiser than the men before them - what if they likewise took the time to pass to several young men from the next generation the wisdom they have attained? What if this took place all over the country over several generations?

Well, my “what ifs” have actually happened. I have always been fascinated by the writings of our Founding Fathers. These men had a knowledge of the Bible, history, and all subjects in general, that I don’t see paralleled today, even though many of those same men had merely a few months of formal schooling. Their wisdom was the direct result of generations of wisdom being passed down through one generation to the next, each generation being wiser than the one before.

But allow me to tell you another “what if” story. What if young men had no interest in learning from their elders? What if they chose to learn everything the hardest way – firsthand experience. As they age, they, too, would grow in wisdom; however, what if the cycle continued? What if the next generation again wanted nothing to do with their elders, whose wisdom is buried with them? What if this took place all over the country over several generations?

Again, the “what ifs” are true, and we are seeing them unfold right before our very eyes. But, like I said before, my daddy was faithful to declare the works of the Lord to his children, and not just my daddy. We have countess men and women who have traveled the same paths before us. Several, having conquered the numerous temptations along the way, have left markers, testimonies of the truths they learned through their struggles and victories, to encourage those who come after to press on.

What a shame that we so often fail in the very battles that our fathers have already conquered! We need to give diligent heed to God’s works in the lives of our fathers and should be prepared, not only to conquer the same temptations they did, but to focus our energies on further conquest.

May we not be the stubborn and rebellious generation the Bible talks of:

“A generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God… They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in His law; and forgot His works, and His wonders that He had shown them. Marvelous things did He in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt. He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and He made the waters to stand as an heap” (Psalm 78:8-13).

The Lord is the Source of all joy. Material possessions may bring temporary happiness, but they don’t bring that incomparable, fulfilling joy of the Lord that comes from putting your faith and trust in God, yielding your life to His control. How can you be miserable one day and the very next full of unspeakable joy when nothing whatsoever has changed in your circumstances? The difference is your trust in God. Like an innocent child, you can have no fear of the future. You can be filled with joy, regardless of circumstances. Don’t you just love that joyous feeling when you’re out somewhere, full of joy, wanting the world to know of your happiness? You know, that light-hearted, little-girl-like, skipping step, with head raised high, face aglow with smiles, and you’re having to refrain yourself from whistling some merry tune?

"The joy of the Lord is our strength!" 

My Daddy's Going Home Celebration, Part 1

It was suggested that my siblings and I speak at our father’s funeral. I unhesitantly agreed to do so, for how I could refuse this opportunity to rise up and call my father blessed, to praise him also, and in so doing glorify my Heavenly Father, who commands children to honor their parents?

Utterly exhausted from my night watch the eve before, that night I lay down and slept very soundly; but in the early hours of the morning I unwontedly awoke, and all the events of the day before filled my mind. You would think that at such a time all I would experience is anguish and hopelessness, but God – oh, how gracious He is and full of compassion! – began bringing numerous things to my remembrance, a little incident here, a word spoken there, decisions made great and small, all that revealed to me of how He knew beforehand and was preparing me for this time, even when I knew it not nor expected it.

Oh, yes, so very many things that I cannot recall them all! Eventually I felt compelled to get up while I had them all so clear in my mind and begin composing what I would say. But the written words just wouldn’t come. I thought and typed and backspaced. I had no idea of what to say; my thoughts were jumbled; clarity and conciseness had escaped me. 

We were staying at my older brother's house, and I wished myself at home where surely I could find something I already written to give me some inspiration. Ah, Facebook! I logged into my week-old account, where I had already posted a few “Notes.” 

Aside from two new paragraphs and some editing, I drew entirely from things I had posted online just days before. I still cannot believe how it came together. My God is amazing! 

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33).

However, my biggest concern was, “Will I really be able to say all of this without choking on tears or perhaps even breaking down in sobs?” Even as I was writing it, I had hardly been able to focus on the screen because of my unceasing flow of tears. But I wanted to say it all; I felt that it was what God would have me to say.

I consulted my older brother, asking him to read it; he said it would indeed be impossible. Ah, perhaps I could film myself speaking and show it on the projector? The next afternoon when I finally had some time to do so, I took myself outdoors with a tripod. The video looked awful; my red, tear-stained face looked awful. Still, from running through the printed page a few times, I almost knew it well enough to speak it word-for-word.

That night I received some much-needed encouragement from some dear friends who had experienced the loss of close family. Both strongly assured me that I would definitely be able. It was a relief.

I look back at the wake and then the funeral with unexplainable delight and joy. All those things that God brought to my remembrance that night, plus others that He had shown my friends and family, were bits and pieces of a wonderful testimony that I shared with every person I spoke to. There were over seven hundred people who came to the wake, I am told, and I tried to talk to every single one. I am naturally quiet and reserved in large crowds, but I completely lost myself and all self-consciousness in my desire to give praise to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with a strong earthly father. It was an amazing feeling. 

I was very hoarse afterward, another obstacle to sharing the speech I had put together. It was awful to have so much to say and no voice to say it with. It’s funny to think now of such little, insignificant things, but I drank lots of lemon and honey and gargled lots of salt water in order to be able to even enunciate with any kind of clarity.

But not one tear broke my voice, nor the slightest bit of nervousness interfered. I shared with unwonted boldness all that I had written. It was a testimony in the weeks to come, as person after person came up to me and said how very blessed they had been by my speech. I can’t take credit for it, not even an ounce, for it was undeniably God’s work and not my own.

I thank God for counting my family worthy to be entrusted with such a testimony as we have.

I’ll post the speech tomorrow.

Click here for Part 2.

Remembering the Works of God, Part 1

A year: three hundred sixty-five risings of the sun; fifty-two meetings of precious fellowship with the Body of Christ; the round of holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries… What great things can be accomplished in a year!

But of all things I could have resolved to accomplish this year, I chose to read the Psalms every day. You’d think a book read daily would get old by September, but can I tell you I find more delight than ever in drinking from them each day! They are inexhaustibly refreshing! I want to know them, I want to memorize them, I want them to be in my heart and on my tongue. Such a shame that they are no longer included in our public worship, as they were exclusively centuries ago.

Today I read Psalm 105:

“Remember His marvelous works that He hath done; His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth… He hath remembered His covenant forever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations” (Psalm 105:5, 8).

Wow! This was an astonishing revelation: We expect God to remember and fulfill to us the promises He made 2,000 years ago, but we do not remember the works He did for us last week!

What importance this attaches to documenting the God’s works throughout the course of our lives. Today I examined both Psalm 78 and 105 with new eyes, asking, “If God wrote a tale of His works in my life, of my unbelief, lust, and pride, and of the grace and mercy with which He worked all things for my good, what would it say?” Someday I'd love to take the time to look back and consider the turning points of my life, the circumstances surrounding them, my heart and my attitude, and tie all together for God’s glory, writing it out in the style of these two Psalms.

As the first anniversary of that precious day (Psalm 116:15) my father ended his pilgrim journey draws nigh, I find myself reflecting on this past year, my first year without Daddy. To think I may live forty or fifty years more without him… that’s a hard thought. That’s why it’s so important for me to remember. I was just thinking tonight on the way home from church, of how I thank God for the long ride because of the unforgettable conversations I had with Daddy every time we rode together.

I love to go back and read the truths God was revealing to me in the weeks that followed us facing the death of husband, father, protector, provider, and head of the home. In such times, priorities are much clearer to us than during the daily grind of life. God can teach to me more in a day through hurt and tears than I can learn alone through years of studying. I will soon be sharing here* on my blog some of the things I wrote during that time.

*To read, click these links: Oct. 14, Oct. 23, Nov. 4, Nov. 9, Nov. 29, and Dec. 7.