August is a crazy-busy month--always. That is not new information to anyone. I'm just agreeing with a general consensus and observing the way things are. Moving kids to school...registering kids for school..perhaps a week of camp squeezed in before schools starts...school starts...teachers must get their rooms ready...kids have to buy school supplies...last minute physicals to play sports...and band camp...and the heat (because where we are situated on the planet: we 'wear the heat' because of the humidity!)...finishing touches on fall programming...winding up 'summer projects'...
As I think about this, though, this has become our life, no matter what month it is--because we jam each day full of stuff!
August has always been a significant month for me. I celebrate my birthday, and the birthdays of several family members! This particular day, the 6th, has significance in my life--because I'm quirky like that!
Today would have been my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. No, they only made it to '24' years. The date, though August 6, 1960, has always been significant to me, especially during the 'questioning years', as I'll affectionately refer to them... Questions like:
Why am I here? Why was I born? Was there a reason? Was I planned, or an accident? Was I the reason that my parents married, or not?--
These were the questions I had throughout my pre-teen and teenage years--and strains of them even followed me in to my 20's...Secretly, I would look at the 'marriage date' and my 'birth date' and reason, it takes nine months to have a baby, and I was born 5 days after my parents first anniversary...so at least I know I wasn't the 'reason' for the marriage!
I know, that SO doesn't matter in 2010...often, there's a child or two born to the union before the 'wedding' has ever been considered...but for some reason it mattered to me, for my identity.
As I approach 50, some things mean more to me than ever before, and other things that used to be important, have little significance in what I consider to be the 'big' picture of my life! Funny how that works out! My mother in law always told me that, but it took til now for me to realize and appreciate those words of wisdom!
Just this week, I was able to spend a few hours with my mom and Jim...my sister and her husband and daughter. It was good.
It was a good visit. Visiting there always stirs up lots of memories, which is normal...ad, it always stirs up a lot of questions, as well!
You see, as a pre-teen and teenager, I needed to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that I belonged here...it wasn't an accident...but I was looking for 'legitimacy' from an earthly stand point. The bigger picture truly is:
I wasn't an accident--even if I had been born, and my parents had never married...I know this to be true because, I can trace my spiritual heritage to the God of the Universe, the Creator of all things! Also significant to me is the fact that God has a plan for my life!
As I approach another year of life, my question to my mom during this visit was, "Why did grandma (mom's mom) get the 'family Bible'? (She was the 'middle child'...and the family Bible had been given to her father in the late 1800's before my grandma was born in 1904.)
Which led to the next question: "How did Grandma come to her faith in Jesus?" (this now has more significance to me than the date of my parent's wedding, because her faith was taught to my mom...which in turn was taught to me and our children--see the legacy--the legitimacy of generational faith, passed down?) I wanted to know how it all began.
Here's the amazing answer I got; I love this story!
In the middle 1940's the little country school (called Hickory Hill) my mom attended for first and second grades, consolidated with the grade school in town. At this point, the little country school stood empty. Sunday school missionaries from Moody Bible Institute, came and started a Sunday school each week at Hickory Hill. Johnson was their last name, a faithful couple, who taught kids that lived in the country about Jesus each Sunday morning. Mr. Johnson had a different preacher from churches throughout their community come each week to conduct church services, after Sunday school. (all different denominational preachers would take turns and preach at this little country school house--what a concept!) Then, they'd all eat lunch together. Children and entire families attended, as well.
My mom and her parents, Jack & Virginia, (my grandparents) learned to love Jesus by attending these weekly opportunities for learning!
A few years passed, and the school district decided to sell the Hickory Hill building. The Johnson's wanted desperately to purchase that building. Let me remind you to consider the fact that my mom was in grade-school during this time! She remembers how fervently the Sunday school times of prayer were for the Lord to provide the funds for the purchase of this little school building. Mrs. Johnson's faith became very evident to my mom as she watched and listened to this woman pray for God's blessing and provision.
The building sold, but not to this Sunday school effort, to someone else. I don't know what happened next, except my mom did say that a little time passed, and they were told that the transaction to purchase the building fell through and the Johnson's were offered the school building at a much-reduced price, one that they could afford.
My mom attended there, and even helped with Bible school in to her high school years. But the impression that Mrs. Johnson's faith concerning God's provision of the building made an impact on moms' faith and understanding that 'ripples' even to this day!
And, for me, even to this day--I'm thankful for the Johnson's, that stepped out in faith to be missionaries! And for the fact that they were not ashamed to pray fervently for God's will and provision in front of impressionable children... experience disappointment and remain faithful when the building 'sold' to someone else...and rejoice when they were offered the building...all because the 'waited on the Lord'!!!
The following passage of scripture has two little hands outlined on it in my Bible, one for Will who was 3 at the time, and one for Ally who was 1!
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. ... Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:13-18 & 23-24
My assurance comes from this passage that each of my days is NO surprise to my God! And, He already knew them before I was born! My hope is that I can somehow leave that impression on my children and my children's children!
No comments:
Post a Comment