Tomorrow is an auspicious day. Not only does the day mark the start of our marriage it also marks Whitney’s birth. One of the effects that it always brings is a pause and reflective glance at yesterday. What did I see then? How does reality compare now? What have I learned?
When this journey began I struggled with Wisdom’s advice. The late seventies were increasingly “I” centric. People were making their fortunes with an ends justify the means approach. Wisdom said not to “bother your head with braggarts or wish you could succeed like the wicked. Those people have no future at all; they’re headed down a dead-end street.” (Proverbs 24.19, 20) I heard the words but they seems so old, distant, and curiously non-applicable.
With perspective I can see just how true Wisdom’s words were and are. Most of my peers have married, divorced, remarried, and divorced yet again. They struggle with broken relationships, torn friendships, and shattered dreams. Yes, there are a few who have placed their hold on a pot of gold but at what cost? Yes, there are some who are now at the pinnacle of their profession, again at what cost? Yes, there are those who have power and status, coupled with lost opportunities that carry their own price.
I have received far more of God’s grace than I could have possibly imagined or in any way merited. In spite of politics and corporate turmoil I am in a job where God has called me to be. God has blessed me in material ways yet I find myself focusing on an even greater blessing. I have been given a family that nurtures and cares, walks with hope, and revels in the joy of living. It isn’t just the ones closest to home, though they have an extraordinary role in this reality. Family includes brothers and sisters, parents beyond the traditional count, and friends who always seem to be lifting me to God when I cannot seem to move on my own.
God is reaching out for you and for me, always.
