Post by Buckeye Dale on May 10, 2023 4:56:49 GMT -5
Our lives, for instance. Recent posting from a family friend. I've posted some of her articles here in the past.
Our Changing Lives
This world is continually changing, and the topics of change which we can relate to Scripture, seem endless. Usually in this space I consider current issues and world events in the light of Scripture. Today I want to consider changes in our personal lives.
A friend of mine is a Funeral Celebrant. She visits with the bereaved to learn about the person who just died; afterwards she writes a story unique to the deceased person. At the funeral ceremony she conducts the service according to the wishes of the family, telling the story celebrating the life of the departed. Emotions and grief of the bereaved vary vastly, from nonchalant to clinging to and having to be pried off the coffin.
Grieving is personal and is unique; taking countless forms. Its duration and stages varies. Grief may become subdued and last for life. The loss of your soul-mate is different than the loss of your child. It hurts different and you grieve different. Losing pets, even your horse, can cause grief.
Grief can affect your faith in God; resulting in bewilderment and even anger at God. Don’t judge a person who is drowning in grief; just love, understand and befriend them.
Grief can deepen your faith in God or bring a person to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Grief can bring you to trust more deeply in God and be thankful for the gift of love between you and the deceased. Enjoy your memories. Knowing that you will be reunited in Heaven is wonderful, but the greater your love, the deeper your grief. To love is to be vulnerable; but to never have loved is a worse loss. This is true not only of your soul-mate, but of family, friends and even pets.
Following is the story to my readers of why I moved from *** to Arizona, titled “Goodbye—For Now.” It was printed about three years ago, September 2018. It follows:
My life is changing. In this life we must all accept changes that inevitably come with the passing of years. If God is in control of your life, these changes are always for the best. Everything changes except God. God is forever unchanging; that we can depend on. He is immutability, thus He will never change. His attributes will always be the same. That means his love, his mercy, his promises; his justice will not change, not ever! He is long-suffering; he is just, righteous, omnipresent, eternal, sovereign, holy and more.
Some of God’s attributes are communicable, others are incommunicable.
We were created to live forever, but the entrance of sin into humanity changed that.
March 21, 2015, God took my Pastor husband to Heaven. My oldest son Daryl, who was living with me, went home to be with the Lord, November 21, 2017.
Now it seems best to do as my youngest son, David, wishes. He wants me close to him. We take care of our children, devoting our lives to them; they depend on us; now how wonderful to be able to depend on them. And I can, God is so good; I am so blessed. David lives in Arizona. I have two sisters there and their families, a brother further south and my daughter a few hours away. I do have a son here, but he will come visit.
These are bitter-sweet days for me—closing this chapter—parting with where Joe and I retired to. We were married 62 years, which were spent mostly as missionaries with Missions.
We were blessed to retire in the country and inherit two horses. We acquired a few others and thought we’d sell foals, but it is not possible to sell your children, foals Joe imprinted at birth. How fun to love them!
Some hungry, homeless cats joined our family. They are now neutered or spayed, are very gentle and cuddly and needing loving homes. Joe and I enjoyed them along with bantam chickens and peacocks, which come right up to me and beg for cracked corn. Of course they get whatever they beg for. Now I’m asking the Lord to help me find loving forever homes for each of them, horses, cats and fowl.
This paper goes by subscription into all 50 states, Guam and some other territories. I thank the Lord for the privilege of writing for it for about ten years. I’ve enjoyed hearing from many of you, my readers.
Thank you.
Remember, only God never changes. In this world we will have trials and tribulation. As you consider world events, always consider them in the light of Scripture. I’m privileged to have my husband’s library; what a treasure! I was looking at a book from it this morning, a well read and marked up book, “Knowing God” by J.I. Packer. If you don’t have it, please buy it. It will perhaps be the best treasure you can read, except Scripture.
I’m open to the Lord’s leading if He leads me to write for the Paper in the future, maybe later this fall. My editor, D J, reminded me; there is e-mail.
Psalm 93:2 reminds us God is from “all eternity.” “Thy throne is established from old: thou art from everlasting.” Jeremiah 10:10 tells us God is the eternal, or everlasting king. 1Timothy 6:16 tells us God alone has immortality. Psalm 90:2 tells us: “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God (NIV).” Psalm 102:25-27 tells us: “Of old Thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure. ... . But Thou art the same and Thy years have no end.”
I thank God that he is immutability, and when change invades my life I can trust the God of creation. He has it all in control. That doesn’t mean I won’t have tears. I’ll miss friends and my son Joey here. I’ll miss Joe’s and my beloved horses. I’ll miss this home, the fir trees, the wilderness and country life. As Missionaries, except for one place, we were always in the mountains. We even lived on an Indian reservation. After my husband was with the Lord and our oldest son Daryl was here with me, Daryl was usually the one to thank the Lord for our food before meals and he always asked God to tell Dad (Joe) that we love him. Now they are both gone and I ask God to tell both of them that I love them and am praying for the Rapture soon. If you have loved ones in Heaven, parents, a child, your spouse, or whoever; you can ask God to talk to them for you. You can think about who they have met, long departed relatives, Bible characters, even Adam and Eve, Abraham Lincoln, John Calvin. We’ll even be able to meet Mary, mother of Jesus’ humanity. What a future to look forward to. How exciting!
Just be sure you have trusted in the shed blood of Jesus to pay for your sins. Then your future is with God in Heaven. Jesus said in John 16:33, “In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
Our Changing Lives
This world is continually changing, and the topics of change which we can relate to Scripture, seem endless. Usually in this space I consider current issues and world events in the light of Scripture. Today I want to consider changes in our personal lives.
A friend of mine is a Funeral Celebrant. She visits with the bereaved to learn about the person who just died; afterwards she writes a story unique to the deceased person. At the funeral ceremony she conducts the service according to the wishes of the family, telling the story celebrating the life of the departed. Emotions and grief of the bereaved vary vastly, from nonchalant to clinging to and having to be pried off the coffin.
Grieving is personal and is unique; taking countless forms. Its duration and stages varies. Grief may become subdued and last for life. The loss of your soul-mate is different than the loss of your child. It hurts different and you grieve different. Losing pets, even your horse, can cause grief.
Grief can affect your faith in God; resulting in bewilderment and even anger at God. Don’t judge a person who is drowning in grief; just love, understand and befriend them.
Grief can deepen your faith in God or bring a person to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Grief can bring you to trust more deeply in God and be thankful for the gift of love between you and the deceased. Enjoy your memories. Knowing that you will be reunited in Heaven is wonderful, but the greater your love, the deeper your grief. To love is to be vulnerable; but to never have loved is a worse loss. This is true not only of your soul-mate, but of family, friends and even pets.
Following is the story to my readers of why I moved from *** to Arizona, titled “Goodbye—For Now.” It was printed about three years ago, September 2018. It follows:
My life is changing. In this life we must all accept changes that inevitably come with the passing of years. If God is in control of your life, these changes are always for the best. Everything changes except God. God is forever unchanging; that we can depend on. He is immutability, thus He will never change. His attributes will always be the same. That means his love, his mercy, his promises; his justice will not change, not ever! He is long-suffering; he is just, righteous, omnipresent, eternal, sovereign, holy and more.
Some of God’s attributes are communicable, others are incommunicable.
We were created to live forever, but the entrance of sin into humanity changed that.
March 21, 2015, God took my Pastor husband to Heaven. My oldest son Daryl, who was living with me, went home to be with the Lord, November 21, 2017.
Now it seems best to do as my youngest son, David, wishes. He wants me close to him. We take care of our children, devoting our lives to them; they depend on us; now how wonderful to be able to depend on them. And I can, God is so good; I am so blessed. David lives in Arizona. I have two sisters there and their families, a brother further south and my daughter a few hours away. I do have a son here, but he will come visit.
These are bitter-sweet days for me—closing this chapter—parting with where Joe and I retired to. We were married 62 years, which were spent mostly as missionaries with Missions.
We were blessed to retire in the country and inherit two horses. We acquired a few others and thought we’d sell foals, but it is not possible to sell your children, foals Joe imprinted at birth. How fun to love them!
Some hungry, homeless cats joined our family. They are now neutered or spayed, are very gentle and cuddly and needing loving homes. Joe and I enjoyed them along with bantam chickens and peacocks, which come right up to me and beg for cracked corn. Of course they get whatever they beg for. Now I’m asking the Lord to help me find loving forever homes for each of them, horses, cats and fowl.
This paper goes by subscription into all 50 states, Guam and some other territories. I thank the Lord for the privilege of writing for it for about ten years. I’ve enjoyed hearing from many of you, my readers.
Thank you.
Remember, only God never changes. In this world we will have trials and tribulation. As you consider world events, always consider them in the light of Scripture. I’m privileged to have my husband’s library; what a treasure! I was looking at a book from it this morning, a well read and marked up book, “Knowing God” by J.I. Packer. If you don’t have it, please buy it. It will perhaps be the best treasure you can read, except Scripture.
I’m open to the Lord’s leading if He leads me to write for the Paper in the future, maybe later this fall. My editor, D J, reminded me; there is e-mail.
Psalm 93:2 reminds us God is from “all eternity.” “Thy throne is established from old: thou art from everlasting.” Jeremiah 10:10 tells us God is the eternal, or everlasting king. 1Timothy 6:16 tells us God alone has immortality. Psalm 90:2 tells us: “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God (NIV).” Psalm 102:25-27 tells us: “Of old Thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure. ... . But Thou art the same and Thy years have no end.”
I thank God that he is immutability, and when change invades my life I can trust the God of creation. He has it all in control. That doesn’t mean I won’t have tears. I’ll miss friends and my son Joey here. I’ll miss Joe’s and my beloved horses. I’ll miss this home, the fir trees, the wilderness and country life. As Missionaries, except for one place, we were always in the mountains. We even lived on an Indian reservation. After my husband was with the Lord and our oldest son Daryl was here with me, Daryl was usually the one to thank the Lord for our food before meals and he always asked God to tell Dad (Joe) that we love him. Now they are both gone and I ask God to tell both of them that I love them and am praying for the Rapture soon. If you have loved ones in Heaven, parents, a child, your spouse, or whoever; you can ask God to talk to them for you. You can think about who they have met, long departed relatives, Bible characters, even Adam and Eve, Abraham Lincoln, John Calvin. We’ll even be able to meet Mary, mother of Jesus’ humanity. What a future to look forward to. How exciting!
Just be sure you have trusted in the shed blood of Jesus to pay for your sins. Then your future is with God in Heaven. Jesus said in John 16:33, “In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
