Did you know…
That the First World War ended on the Eleventh
hour, on the Eleventh day of the Eleventh month? That there are Eleven players
on an American football team, on a soccer team, on a cricket team as well as on
a field hockey team? That Veteran’s Day
which honors military veterans’ in the United States is on November Eleventh…
as is our oldest daughter’s birthday…
And the list goes on and on! We recently celebrated the 50th
Anniversary of the first man to set foot on the moon with the Apollo 11
spaceflight’s lunar landing. It’s also interesting
to note that the deepest known point of the ocean is Callenger Deep, Marina
Trench located in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 11km, that
sodium has a atomic number of Eleven and that New York became the
Eleventh state in the Union on July 26,1788… and so on and so
forth! I’m sure that all this trivia
information will come in handy at some insignificant time in your life! *
Today marks Eleven months since my sweet wife
moved to heaven. I was thinking about
her yesterday and began to wonder if she thinks about me
while in heaven? Then I had to laugh as
the thought of how her newfound strength and joy within the splendor and majesty
of His presence is most likely keeping her pleasantly and fully occupied! (See:
I Chronicles 16:27) But down here on
the earth, with all the new changes that I’ve been forced to accept… I find
lots of time to think about her!
With each passing month it gets easier though. During this last month I’ve found myself
thinking back over the years of my adult life and that how those years were
profoundly influenced by the Word of God that I chose to take to heart,
stand on… a lot… and then rejoice with much thanksgiving before,
during and after I witnessed the results.
Many scriptures stand out, but one by far surpasses the others… and that
being Joshua 1:9 when the Lord spoke to the new leader of what was to become
the Jewish nation proclaiming: “I've commanded you to be strong and brave.
Don't ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the LORD your God, and I will be
there to help you wherever you go.” (CEV)
It was one of the first scriptures that I took personally into my life… with Piper’s patient, gently encouraging influence
and assistance. I remember facing an
upcoming Economics mid-term at the Santa Rosa Junior College in 1972 with great
concern over my abilities to get a decent understanding of the class subject! Piper shared her method of doing all you can
to study in the natural and then trusting God for the rest. And, that’s when she introduced me to Joshua
1:9. Well, I’m not sure what it was, but
as I began to study and personalize that verse, I sensed a
building confidence from deep inside of me!
So, I studied hard and long and walked into the auditorium with an
uncanny peace in the knowledge that He was with me as I took that test.
And you know… even though I
received a high “C” on the midterm (and believe me when I say I was
expecting a lot less before I put my trust in the Lord!), I was quite
pleased with the results and ended up at the end of the semester with a decent
overall grade in the class. I was also
relieved because my Dad and the professor were friends and fellow members of
the Knights of Columbus at the Catholic Church we attended!
That experience in trusting in the Word of God for the
practical needs in life way back then, initiated a lifelong tradition in me
that I have only built upon since the almost fifty years when it originally
took place. I’ve looked back over this
last month to see and understand how our trusting in the Lord and His Word gave
us favor and a good report with people from the beginning of our marriage years
to the very end. (See: Proverbs 3:4)
And now, as I enter into the Eleventh month
without her, I can only go forward with what I know… with what has always
worked for me in the past! As it was
for us then, will continue to be for me today… and tomorrow!
Have a wonderful weekend.
We are supposed to have a pretty wet weekend, but on the bright side… I
usually sleep really good when it rains! So, I hope you enjoy your weekend… or “New Beginning” as Piper
liked to encouragingly say, and while you're at it, repeat after me… “I am expecting to
find and stand on a specific scripture from the Word of God to guide me on into
victory today!”
* See “The Meaning of
Numbers” at: https://mysticalnumbers.com/number-11/
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your thoughts are welcomed. Please keep them within the context and flavor of this blog.