The Beverly Hillbillies...

Early in our marriage I vividly remember my wife praying that we would always have a nice house to live in.  And with the possible exception of the duplex we lived in during the last year while going to school in Oklahoma, I would have to say that the Lord definitely answered the heart desire of my wife!  And even that duplex wasn’t that bad.  It had a huge backyard for the dog to rump around in and was located near a wonderful nature reserve that we took walks in almost every day!

When we first moved back to our hometown after our time in Oklahoma and were staying with my folks, we took a drive looking for nice areas of town near our folks where we could rent.  In our travels that day we drove into the community we now live in and were both captivated by its park like environment, cute cluster homes and quiet location across from the city golf course and park complete with lighted baseball diamonds and soccer fields. We pulled over right then and there and prayed, telling the Lord about our desire to live there.

Well, I’ve probably told the story before, but within a matter of days and a series of miraculous interventions, we had signed a contract and were getting ready to move the couple of miles from my folks to our new home in the midst of towering Pines and Redwoods, beautiful landscapes, green lawns, a lake and swimming pools. (Sounds like the beginning of the Beverly Hillbillies doesn’t it… except I don’t think there are any movie stars living here… but then, you never know!)

Almost immediately after we moved, we began to receive flak from a few adamant relatives telling us that we had made a big mistake.  They were overly concerned about the rent and had all these suggestions about apartments we could be in and save a lot of money.  They even called me after the first year’s lease had run out and tried again to persuade us to move!

It was actually a little funny because ALL of the places that they strongly suggested I had already checked out on the internet when we were still in Oklahoma and had dismissed them because they were not in what I considered to be a very safe location in our hometown (and crime statistics backed me up!).  I knew that my new position with The Home Depot would have me traveling out of town on a daily basis and that my wife would be at home alone.  I also wanted her close to family and friends in case any emergencies came up.

We knew that God backed and approved of this desire of our heart and would supply our needs… and He did!  Except for a short period of time when I initially quit my outside job to care for the increasing needs of my wife, we have actually done better financially than we had for a quite a few years!  Our focus throughout this time has always been and will continue to be on the Lord.  Our trust is found in the truth of His Word.

In His position as our Good Shepherd, Jesus said that “Anyone who goes through me will be cared for – will freely go in and out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9 The Message Bible)  The Easy to Read Version says “They will find everything they need.”  Then He topped that declaration by adding “I have come that they (you and me) may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10 NKJV)

I think that it all comes down to how you see yourself when it comes to being a Christian and receiving the promises of God.  The folks who were not in agreement with the direction we took are also mature Christians, but obviously, we were looking at our new residence from different perspectives.  As I study the Word I see a God that is all loving toward His family, wants the best for them and is ready to supply all of our needs as we seek Him, obey Him and love Him without restraint.

I recently read something that C.S. Lewis had written in a book entitled “Reflections on the Psalms” that really got me thinking about our perspective on the things of the Kingdom.  He wrote, “The ancient Jews, like ourselves, think of God’s judgment in terms of an earthly court of justice.  The difference is that the Christian pictures the case to be tried as a criminal case with himself in the dock.  The Jew pictures it as a civil case with himself as the plaintiff.  The one hopes for acquittal, or rather for pardon; the other hopes for a resounding triumph with heavy damages.”  (Reflections on the Psalms copyright 1958 by C.S. Lewis Pte Ltd – page 10)

Once I again, I think that life is all about how we see ourselves “in Christ.”  As one reads through the Word and takes note of how many times it talks about the benefits we have “in Christ” and takes that truth to heart, they will change their perspective on how our heavenly Father wants or expects us to live on this earth.  God wants a life that honors and obeys Him to be blessed with the touch of His hand in all that we do.  Believe me, it is not simply to get blessed, but being blessed because we go in and out through His gate, follow His tutelage, and are blessed so that we can be a blessing to others.

God has honored my wife’s heart desire of a nice place to live, because she has attempted to honor Him in everything she has done over the 38 plus years of our marriage.  And since He is no respecter of persons, He will do the same for you!  Have a blessed day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What or Whom am I expecting today?”