Back to Your Roots

It is interesting to see how some of the first scriptures that I ever memorized have become a vital part of the foundation of faith and strength that I have stood on in the most difficult times in my life.  After dating and then marrying Piper Canevari, it was only right that I became intimately acquainted with verses like Philippians 4:4-5 that encourages Christians to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice!  Let your forbearing (considerate, gentle) spirit be known to all men.  The Lord is near.” (NASB)

I not only had the immense delight of living with a woman that loved the Word of God but one that also encapsulated its very essence in just about everything she did and said.  I discovered early in our relationship that I too was drawn to God’s Word, but didn’t know much of anything about it!  So, for many years she became my mentor, not necessarily by classroom teaching but instead by her personal words, actions and her very evident spiritual sensitivity to the things of God.

And throughout our 48 years together… almost to the day... it seemed like we always tended to find ourselves returning back to the basics of Philippians 4:4-5.  Rejoicing in the Lord just came to be a part of who we were individually as well as a couple.  Even when Piper’s cognitive abilities and speech became limited, she still walked into a room… any room…with a smile on her face and an encouraging word coming from her lips.

I recall the time we went over to visit her folks after she had gained quite a few extra pounds as a side effect of the new seizure medicine she was on.  When we went into the house all was quiet and sullen and she immediately began to smile and make jokes in order to lighten things up.  That’s just who she was!  Even in the last months of her life she would quietly brighten other people’s lives.  One afternoon she suddenly looked up at a neighbor who would regularly come over and just sit with Piper and talk to her while she brushed Piper’s hair, and gave her a big smile!

Now that Piper is gone on to her heavenly reward, I often find myself feeling quite lonely and looking at one of the many pictures I have of her around the house.  And as I find myself lost in my thoughts of how beautiful she was to me and of how she greatly enriched my life, I sometimes wonder what she would do if the roles were reversed and it was she that was left alone.  And you know… the first thing that almost always pops into my mind is the familiar sound of her voice speaking directly to me (as she often did) saying: “Jim, relax… and just begin to rejoice in the Lord!”

So that is exactly what I usually do… many, many years after I first became familiar with that powerful scripture.  I’ve repeatedly sensed the Lord instructing me to return to my roots since Piper left the earthy scene.  Even though I’ve had different offers to attend churches in my area, I’ve sensed the importance of staying connected to the services and teaching of my home church in Oklahoma.  It is one of the few foundations in my life at this time that hasn’t been disturbed.  I’ve also gone back to re-reading many of the books from Bible College.  I believe that the Lord is wanting me to stay close to the foundation that made Piper and I who we were… and to remind me of who I still am during this time of rollercoaster change, emotional upheaval and new directions.

As I studied Philippians 4:4-5 from various translations over the last couple of days, I was drawn down a little further to verse nine where Paul instructed the church in Philippi concerning the things he taught them when he was last there saying, “The things you have both learned and received and heard and seen, practice (or do) these things: and the God of peace shall be with you.” (NASB/KJV)

When I began to meditate on many of the meanings of the various words Paul used to make his point, I realized that there is a mental (or intellectual), physical and spiritual application to what he was sharing with the church.  I thought that it was interesting the way he emphasized the conjunction “BOTH” to connect the ideas of “learned” and “received” and then “heard” and “seen.”  The Oxford Online Dictionaries describes the conjunction “BOTH” as “increasing or increased in quality, degree or force by successive additions.”  In other words, Paul is admonishing his readers to actively practice both of each of his commands in order to gain the fullest effect from his teachings in their personal lives.

He is training the church to go beyond the intellectual aspect of his teachings and to put them into active use in their daily lives while they continue to develop their spiritual sensitivity to the things of God happening all around them.  That kind of describes where my life is right now!  I may not be able to clearly see or understand where I am going as of yet without Piper at my side… but my heavenly Father sure does! 

So, what do I do?  I continue to do what I have done for the last 48 years… only without her.  Because, even though my circumstances have drastically changed… He hasn’t!  My job is to keep taking what I have both learned and received and heard and seen by our spiritual mentors over the years and continue to practice and/or do them!  The Lord has made it abundantly clear to me, that with everything else changing around me… I need to stick to His truth that has worked for me in the past and will continue to work in my present and future!

What do you think about that as far as your life goes?  Is it time to get back to the roots of your faith?  Is it time to put Him first?  Or maybe it is just time to find a quiet place and have a long talk with Him…

  Have a great weekend, and as you do, plug in with Him and say with me… “I am expecting to experience great things with God this weekend!”