On the off-chance that this post might be unearthed years in the future as a clue to what this past civilization was like, I don't want to leave this earthly realm without expressing the joy that has attended me in this life on earth.
Almighty God, our Creator, has smiled down on me during my journey here.
It occurred to me in perhaps a moment of spiritual immaturity - as dust - to mourn the soon-to-come loss of all of the earthly things that I love. Realizing that I am about to graduate from this school of life into eternal glories so amazing that I cannot grasp them, I will allow myself the indulgence of sentimental reflections on the blessed life that I live in the flesh - for the record.
In God's infinite grace He assigned my birth into a home of generational followers of Jesus Christ. It is impossible that a child has ever been born to two parents who were more loving and who better lived the life they recommended to others - the Christian life. They walked the walk.
As far back as memory takes me my parents were in the ministry, and they got there the hard way. I never recall my parents raising their voices to each other in anger. I was taught about the Lord and accepted Him as my savior at a very young age - around six years old. My younger brother did the same. We had an idyllic childhood. Our home was filled with love, friends and food. It was a perpetual open house. And we had a dog named Twinkle.
It was years later that my best friend, my mother, shared some of the difficulties with me - at a time when I was going through my own challenges. How wise she was to reveal to me that they weren't "super people," that they had challenges at least as difficult as mine. When I learned that they were imperfect people, they became even more perfect in my eyes. A little like our relationship with the Lord ... the more we take our imperfections to him, the more perfectly he molds us, and the more we love and understand Him. The closer our relationship becomes.
Oh, how I have loved my family. What a blessing my only son is to us. Even though he is approaching the half-century mark (unbelievable!) hardly a day goes by that we are out of touch by email. I am so proud of him. He has made the hard choices and done the right thing numerous times. I understand him so well - he's so much like me. I'm sure he has no idea how much I understand him - and his challenges. Oh, but I do. A mother/son relationship can't be exactly the same as the mother/daughter relationship I had with my mother. There is a lot less spoken with a son. I guess no other person can make a mother cry as easily or smile as spontaneously as her son. And he probably doesn't even know it. My son and I share the most important thing in the world - our obsession with the Bible, the Christian walk and prophecy. What a blessing that the Lord gave me a boy who has such depth of mind, soul and spirit. It's a very rare thing. I thank the Lord so often for such a son.
My husband = myself. We are truly a unit. In the Lord. We have total trust in each other. We worry about each other. We want happiness for each other. We look out for each other. We love each other more than life itself. In my foolish earthly frame I agonize over how much of 'us' will carry over to our eternal. Foolish? Of course, if you want to look at it intellectually, philosophically. Well, I don't want to. We have 32 years of history together. Jam packed. We have raised cats, dogs, kids, step-kids, grandchildren, parents. It has been a busy life. We've cried together, laughed together, shared everything in life together. We've been through a lot together. And now, we are finally retired, and busier than ever, each of us living out our simple dream, and loving it. We laugh more than ever together. We have the same priorities, beliefs, goals, interests. We would like for it to go on for as long as possible. And yet, it appears that we will be spared that most terrible thing - the illness or death of a spouse. The Lord is so good! We will leave here together for eternity with the Lord. Oh, and how I've prayed that we might have an even higher relationship and love in the next realm, that our unity will be transformed and enhanced. I believe it will.
There is so much more. All of our beloved family members. So many dear friends. Hundreds of close friend from the several church families we have had. We have been so blessed with friendships. And wonderful long-time friends at our work places. So many people we care about, and who care about us. The Lord is so good.
There is so much more. The unparalleled beauty of where we live in the country. Our family room area is full of windows. Each morning I see the glorious sun rise in peace and quiet. It's so easy to be in the Presence of the Lord in our home because He lives here, too. I spend hours and hours with Him, praising Him for the tiniest of things. He is my life. As Paul said, "To live is Christ..." It's true.
My life has not been free of mistakes - all of my own making. I often wonder why the Lord is so good to me. He has been so patient in teaching me about life and about Himself. Christ prayed for us, that we would be one with the Father as He is one with the Father, and it's true. I love the Lord with all my being and my cup overflows with thanks and praise to our Father.
I had to get all of that out, to deal with it, to express it, to experience it, to give thanks for it. My training ground ... my school. My life.
Okay. I'm ready. We're ready. Come, Lord Jesus.
Almighty God, our Creator, has smiled down on me during my journey here.
It occurred to me in perhaps a moment of spiritual immaturity - as dust - to mourn the soon-to-come loss of all of the earthly things that I love. Realizing that I am about to graduate from this school of life into eternal glories so amazing that I cannot grasp them, I will allow myself the indulgence of sentimental reflections on the blessed life that I live in the flesh - for the record.
In God's infinite grace He assigned my birth into a home of generational followers of Jesus Christ. It is impossible that a child has ever been born to two parents who were more loving and who better lived the life they recommended to others - the Christian life. They walked the walk.
As far back as memory takes me my parents were in the ministry, and they got there the hard way. I never recall my parents raising their voices to each other in anger. I was taught about the Lord and accepted Him as my savior at a very young age - around six years old. My younger brother did the same. We had an idyllic childhood. Our home was filled with love, friends and food. It was a perpetual open house. And we had a dog named Twinkle.
It was years later that my best friend, my mother, shared some of the difficulties with me - at a time when I was going through my own challenges. How wise she was to reveal to me that they weren't "super people," that they had challenges at least as difficult as mine. When I learned that they were imperfect people, they became even more perfect in my eyes. A little like our relationship with the Lord ... the more we take our imperfections to him, the more perfectly he molds us, and the more we love and understand Him. The closer our relationship becomes.
Oh, how I have loved my family. What a blessing my only son is to us. Even though he is approaching the half-century mark (unbelievable!) hardly a day goes by that we are out of touch by email. I am so proud of him. He has made the hard choices and done the right thing numerous times. I understand him so well - he's so much like me. I'm sure he has no idea how much I understand him - and his challenges. Oh, but I do. A mother/son relationship can't be exactly the same as the mother/daughter relationship I had with my mother. There is a lot less spoken with a son. I guess no other person can make a mother cry as easily or smile as spontaneously as her son. And he probably doesn't even know it. My son and I share the most important thing in the world - our obsession with the Bible, the Christian walk and prophecy. What a blessing that the Lord gave me a boy who has such depth of mind, soul and spirit. It's a very rare thing. I thank the Lord so often for such a son.
My husband = myself. We are truly a unit. In the Lord. We have total trust in each other. We worry about each other. We want happiness for each other. We look out for each other. We love each other more than life itself. In my foolish earthly frame I agonize over how much of 'us' will carry over to our eternal. Foolish? Of course, if you want to look at it intellectually, philosophically. Well, I don't want to. We have 32 years of history together. Jam packed. We have raised cats, dogs, kids, step-kids, grandchildren, parents. It has been a busy life. We've cried together, laughed together, shared everything in life together. We've been through a lot together. And now, we are finally retired, and busier than ever, each of us living out our simple dream, and loving it. We laugh more than ever together. We have the same priorities, beliefs, goals, interests. We would like for it to go on for as long as possible. And yet, it appears that we will be spared that most terrible thing - the illness or death of a spouse. The Lord is so good! We will leave here together for eternity with the Lord. Oh, and how I've prayed that we might have an even higher relationship and love in the next realm, that our unity will be transformed and enhanced. I believe it will.
There is so much more. All of our beloved family members. So many dear friends. Hundreds of close friend from the several church families we have had. We have been so blessed with friendships. And wonderful long-time friends at our work places. So many people we care about, and who care about us. The Lord is so good.
There is so much more. The unparalleled beauty of where we live in the country. Our family room area is full of windows. Each morning I see the glorious sun rise in peace and quiet. It's so easy to be in the Presence of the Lord in our home because He lives here, too. I spend hours and hours with Him, praising Him for the tiniest of things. He is my life. As Paul said, "To live is Christ..." It's true.
My life has not been free of mistakes - all of my own making. I often wonder why the Lord is so good to me. He has been so patient in teaching me about life and about Himself. Christ prayed for us, that we would be one with the Father as He is one with the Father, and it's true. I love the Lord with all my being and my cup overflows with thanks and praise to our Father.
I had to get all of that out, to deal with it, to express it, to experience it, to give thanks for it. My training ground ... my school. My life.
Okay. I'm ready. We're ready. Come, Lord Jesus.
A Child of the King
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