Safe, Free and Happy

Happy Memorial Day!  I felt bad last night when I realized that I still have not purchased a flag holder for the front of my house.  That particular item was always one of the first things that we bought whenever we moved into a new place.  Like my father before me, I have always felt it an honor and a duty to proudly display the Stars and Stripes during the major holidays that we celebrate here in the United States. 

It always kind of surprised me that just about every apartment or house that we rented over the years did not have a flag holder on the exterior of the residence.  The only respite I have over my recent forgetfulness is that it is raining out here today and good flag etiquette dictates that the American flag should not be raised in rainy or inclement weather.

And speaking of “out here,” I noticed as Fiver and I drove home around 9:30 last night, from a very pleasant evening spent with our youngest daughter and her family, that I was quietly and happily thinking about how peaceful I now feel in Broken Arrow.  As we drove down the road, I found myself thinking how familiar the various sights and sounds have become and that this place is really feeling like our home!  I don’t know why… but that thought just made me smile and relax!

While I enjoyed the beautiful home and property we owned in North Carolina, I think that because I was so (rightly) focused and preoccupied with Piper’s care, that I never had the time to just sit back and enjoy my surroundings!  I guess that I always had a sense deep inside, that Piper and I would eventually move back to Oklahoma where most of our family was slowly seeming to congregate, so I never really allowed myself to totally surrender to the feelings of home.

And now that we are here, and Piper has moved onto her heavenly reward, I’ve decided that this is home for as long as God wants us to be here.  I would really dislike having to move again, but the good Lord knows that if He directed to me to move somewhere else, that I would follow His commands.  Some of you may remember that I had made the declaration after we returned to California after Bible School, that I would not leave California again… and especially not to go back to the flat land of Oklahoma… and look at us now!

I made the comment to my younger son during a lengthy conversation we had earlier yesterday, that nobody and I repeat NOBODY knew me like his mother.  In particular we were discussing the strong, burning desire to respond to the Lord’s callings to ministry that was always aflame in me throughout the years of our marriage.  While some family and friends couldn’t figure out why I wouldn’t just “settle down with a good paying job” and spend a lot less time at the church, Piper intimately knew the inner flame that was driving my actions… and in fact, shared the same passions.

Jeremy and I were talking about that sense of emptiness, loss and loneliness that I’ve had that has accompanied the physical absence of his mom in my daily life.  The stark reality, that right now, I am without anyone who has THAT depth of insight and understanding of the real me, one who instinctively knew what made me tick, and especially without that one who always seem to know the EXACT words at the EXACT time to comfort whatever stresses I was experiencing at any given time and place!

Earlier in the day, I had been praying in the kitchen for some heavenly direction concerning some needs I am experiencing, when I turned around, looked at the pictures of Piper that I have taped to the refrigerator and yelled out, “Oh Piper I need you help!  I wish you were here so that I could talk to you about this and get your coveted wisdom and very practical understanding of the matter.”  Then, I kind of laughed and shrugged my shoulders and continued to pray for a few more minutes.

Following that, I walked around the counter separating the kitchen from the living area and paused at the old boom box that I have sitting there, when a light clicked on in my head.  So, I reached out and pressed the play switch on one of the two cassette players and listened to a few moments of Piper preaching a sermon she had shared back in 2000 with the church during a mid-week service.

I really don’t remember what she was talking about, except that she directed the congregations to turn in their Bibles to Psalm 119:130 and she read aloud where the Psalmist declared: “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” (KJV)  I can’t help but interject the immediate sense of peace and joy that came upon me as I heard her sweet voice.  She was also in true Piper form during this message with much laughter and her many funny and quant sayings… it always makes me laugh to notice that many times she would burst into laughter at her own jokes… and then the audience would follow suite in hardy laughter in reaction to her innocent but yet funny and sweet mannerisms!

She then read a couple more scriptures to back her point, but I didn’t hear them. Instead I said “Thank You Honey” while I ran into the bedroom to get a Bible to see Psalm 119:130 for myself.  A few minutes later, I took Fiver for a walk and spent the time meditating on that particular verse.  What it came down to, was the point that the entrance of God’s Word into my heart continually gives me the revelation-light that I need for what is going on in my life today!  The second part of the verse declares that His Word brings understanding to those who are HUMBLE, HUNGRY and SERIOUS about Him.

And while I realized that I may not presently have THAT one person in my life… and I doubt will ever again have someone (in this life) that knew me as well as Piper did after 48 years, that I do have THE ONE who knows me EVEN BETTER than Piper did… and HE is the Lord Jesus Christ who speaks to me through His living and active Word that is found between the pages of our Bibles.  For His scriptures have “been written by the Holy Spirit, the breath of God and will empower you by its instruction and correction, giving you the strength to take the right direction and lead you deeper into the path of godliness.  So that you will be God’s servant, fully mature and perfectly prepared to fulfill any assignment God gives you.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 God’s Word ©)

So, there you go!  The answer for both my particular needs and situation… as well as for you and yours!  So, as we spend today honoring those who gave their lives so that we could have a safe, free and happy present and future, likewise honor the ONE who died for our sins and presents us with THE WAY to live a life that is SAFE, FREE and HAPPY today on this earth… and tomorrow in Paradise with Him!