God's Perfect Vision

It was late December in 2019 when Cathy and I were sharing breakfast with a friend.  As we were approaching a new year, 2020, she asked me to expound on a thought.  She was familiar with an occasional internet blog I started in 2008 where I would sometimes share thoughts or encouragement.  She told me that since 20/20 vision was considered perfect that she wanted to spend the year of 2020 seeking God’s perfect vision for her at this time in her life.  I thought that was a great idea and wrote an article about finding God’s perfect vision for this time in our life.

Well, we didn’t get very far in the year for perfect vision until we began hearing and learning about a new word, COVID.  Everything changed.  We lost loved ones.  Some became very ill but recovered.  Some are still recovering.  Businesses closed.  Some never recovered.  Others are still struggling. 

Personally, I had a very mild case of COVID but other things started happening.  I tell people that I am now 71 years old and the first 68 years were OK.  Since 2019, I have had six minor surgeries, one major surgery, three heart procedures and I am getting hearing aids next week.  I am reminded of a picture my dad had on the wall.  Two cowboys were leaning on a fence.  A brief glance told you immediately that both had lived a very hard and rough life.  One cowboy is leaning toward his friend saying; “Boy, if I had known I was going to live this long, I would have took better care of myself!”   

So what lessons were there to be learned from the past three years?  What was discovered by seeking God’s perfect vision?  Well, I was reminded, as I had preached for many years, that we live in a sin-scarred world where bad things can happen to anyone at any time.  While it is often difficult or impossible to understand with our finite and limited spiritual knowledge and vision, God does not bring or cause suffering in our life or world but he does often allow it to work in our lives to help us obtain perfect spiritual vision and knowledge.  In no vague or uncertain terms, Scripture affirms that God made Jesus perfect through suffering. This is stated in Hebrews 5.8-9: “Although he was a Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.”

My mother used to say that she would be happy if her children were happy.  We cannot base our happiness or feelings on external circumstances, of which we have no control.  The only thing we can truly control in this life is our response to what just happened. 

Paul discovered the secret to finding contentment in the midst of any circumstance. He truly knew what it was to go through difficult circumstances.  He had been beaten, shipwrecked and bitten by a snake all while trying to follow God’s plan and share the Gospel.  He was falsely imprisoned when he wrote Philippians 4:12-13, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Paul says that he can do anything, and go through anything God sets before him because he knows the Lord will provide the strength to complete that trial. We also can do whatever God sets before us if we trust the Lord to provide.

I was reminded again that life is truly fragile, brief and fleeting.  One can lose life, health, wealth, family and friends in a flash.  Even a long life on this planet is but a blink in eternity.  While God dwells in eternity we exist in a world of time with all its’ limitations.  Perfect spiritual vision leads us to see the importance of loving life, family and friends every second of each day.  One never knows what the next second may bring in this sin-scarred world. 

I cannot accomplish anything positive by worrying about injustice, political chaos and violence that seems to be constant and out of my control.  Again, the only thing we can truly control in this life is our response to what just happened.  I may not be able to change circumstances in this world but I can do something about trusting God by faith more each day and how I treat and react to the people I encounter each day no matter what the circumstances in the world may be for me or them.  Whether it is family that I live with, friends and neighbors I see regularly or the strangers I encounter on a daily basis; I can be as kind, loving, patient and helpful to each and every one I encounter.  I think that is God’s perfect vision for my life at this time. 

Look for the Pony!

The secret in life is often found in how one handles situations that don't turn out well. I have a saying that my wife has heard me say often when things don't go the way I hoped or planned. I smile and tell her, "I am looking for the pony."  The saying came from a story I came across years ago.  

A set of identical twins were being studied for their behavior. One was continually positive and joyful while his identical twin had been negative and depressed from birth. The identical twins were placed in isolated environments to study and find the reason for their opposite behavior. The negative and depressed twin was placed in a new playground furnished with all the newest toys and games on the market. The positive joyful twin was placed in an old rundown barn with nothing but horse manure in empty stalls.

The negative and depressed twin sat motionless on the playground and never played with the first toy. After several hours of no play the psychiatrists went in and asked why he sat still for so long and never played with any tows. He replied, “Well they were all new, I figured I might break something then I would be blamed since I was the only one here so why bother.”

His positive brother meanwhile was being observed running wildly through the barn from stall to stall, slipping on manure. It seemed that the more manure he found the faster he ran and wider he smiled. The psychiatrists decided the twin was showing signs of emotional disturbance so they went in and stopped his frantic running from stall to stall. As he was grinning and covered in manure, they asked him what he was doing and why he seemed to be having so much fun. He smiled and said, “With this much manure there has got to be a pony somewhere and I am going to find it!”

Moral of the story; Much of what we get out of life has to do with our attitude. Many are surrounded by blessings yet they ignore them. There will also be times when life will tumble in. It is always best to “Look for the Pony!”

 

The last day that I will be 70 years old

 Today is the last day that I will be 70 years old.  There are certain ages that seem to capture our attention more than others.  I remember my 15^th birthday because I could get my driver’s license learner’s permit.  I remember turning 18 because that meant that I could vote, get drafted & buy beer.  It wound up not being such a big deal.  I didn’t get drafted or buy beer however I voted in the presidential election for the first time in my life but the president I voted for is the only one in history to quit.  Oh well!  Other ages had some significance here and there.  I never really thought about getting older until I turned 50.  Living half a century got my attention.  This was my ‘wake-up call’ that my years of life were rapidly moving along.  Turning 65 was noteworthy because I qualified for Medicare.  But 70…there is a Psalm that deals with the 70^th birthday.  The 90^th Psalm is a prayer of Moses that’s probably the oldest Psalm in the Bible.  Moses lived long past 70, in fact the Bible tells us that Moses died at the age of 120.  However, he wrote in Psalm 90:10; “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.’  This is an interesting observation for someone for whom 70 years is just a little past the halfway point in his life.  However, after living 70 years, he came to the realization that even what we consider a long life is actually brief for the days ‘quickly pass and we fly away’ and they are filled with ‘trouble and sorrow’. 

It may have been that 70 for Moses was similar to my 50.  Perhaps this was the time when Moses first began to grasp how quickly life seems to pass.  Each of us has a point when we realize that our time on earth is brief and fleeting.  One day my grandmother put pen to paper and reflected on her life as she pondered memories, both good and bad, of her life.  She was known for her writing talent.  I inherited the writing bug from her.  My cousin compiled a collection of her writings in a book that her children and grandchildren continue to treasure.  Today I refer to a particular writing where she looked back at the life she had seen and experienced thinking, as did Moses, how even in the best times there is always trouble and sorrow.  She wrote about how she hated thinking of leaving this life.  She was a woman of great faith and knew Heaven waited but she felt impressed to speak of the blessings and difficulties she had seen and the loved ones she would miss.  She was 65 when she put her feelings on paper.  She didn’t know that she would live another 33 years until the age of 98 but this seemed to be a time of significance in the way she viewed life from that point on. 

Moses may have been at a similar place in his thoughts and observations about life.  A couple of verses later he declares the importance of knowing that our days of life are numbered.   Like it or not, there is a specific number of days to each life.  We don’t know the number of days we will live but each of us has a certain number of days to our life and then it will end.  I often have said that I would like to know the number of my days.  As I approach the last few days, I would do nothing but eat Oreos and ice cream.  Obviously, that is a foolish way to look at making the most of one’s last days.  It would be much wiser to spend those days enjoying time with loved ones.  And since we don’t know the number of the last day it would be wise to live each day as fully as if it could be the last time you will be with loved ones…because it could. 

Moses states in verse 12, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”   A heart of wisdom comes from knowing that our days are numbered.  It matters not that we don’t know the number of our days.  Realizing that our number of days are limited should make us realize that we need to make the most of each day and not waste any time.  The days can’t be reclaimed once they pass.  Usually, we don't number our days; we number our years. When you have a birthday and someone asks how old you are, you tell them your age in the number of years. But true spiritual wisdom comes from numbering our days, because we live a day at a time.  We don’t know that we will have tomorrow but we know that we have today.  God has ordained that the entire universe functions a day at a time.  Jesus taught us to pray for God to, “Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:11).  

A heart of wisdom lives each day as if it could be the last…because it could be.  We may realize that our days are numbered but we don’t know when that last number/day will arrive.  It could be years from now or moments away.  Therefore, we need to treat each moment as precious, fragile and fleeting.  That means treating everyone we encounter each day in the same fashion.  We never know if this will be the last day we will have with them.  If You knew today would be the last day you would have with a loved one or friend, wouldn’t you make that day/moment as positive as possible?  Who would want to have their last day with anyone as a day of anger or frustration?  So, since we don’t know the number of our last day, or that of anyone else, a heart of wisdom leads us to make the most of every opportunity to make the day as happy and pleasant as possible.  A heart of wisdom treats each day and each person we encounter that day as cherished and valued. 

As I approach my 25,915^th day (71 years x 365 days…I may be a product of the Mississippi public school system but I can still do basic multiplication…with a calculator), I am going to try my best to make the most of each day.  Wouldn’t the world be better if we all did that?  A heart of wisdom teaches me to love, appreciate and treasure each moment and each person I encounter as I number each precious day. 

We also live by God's wisdom. Wisdom is knowing and having discernment, so that we can apply the truth of the Word of God at the right time, in the right way, with the right motive. Wisdom comes from the Word of God and from getting to know Him and ourselves better.

Wisdom in ancient Hebrew picture language means one who is skilled at separating good from bad. So, how does one become skilled at separating good and bad? By studying and applying the Word of God. In the Bible, God identifies good and bad behaviors and beliefs; our challenge is to find out what God has to say on a matter and align our beliefs and behaviors with the Bible, thus becoming wise.

Considering God's righteous anger and wrath (Psalm 90:11), Moses provides an example of sensible prayer. He asks God for wisdom to account for our time. Time flies, life is uncertain, fragile, and fleeting and God judges sin. It is important, therefore, to value the moments and days He has given us. The best was to value the day is to live each moment as if it could be our last…because it could.  Live each moment being grateful for that moment of life right now, no matter what it holds.  Learn, grow and persevere knowing that whatever the moment holds, good or bad, it will “quickly pass and we fly away.”  Do all you can to help those around you enjoy the moment or day with love and harmony for one another.  We cannot know what tomorrow will bring (Proverbs 27:1), so we ought to dedicate today and every day to the Lord.  That is what I plan to do on my last day to be 70 years old.  Then if I wake in the morning, I will repeat that plan for my first day to be 71 years old and following.  Hope you have a great day, no matter what number it is for you!

Savor and enjoy each day!

 People search far & wide for purpose & meaning in life.  Some seek to find purpose or meaning in relationships, success, power.  Often accomplishing one’s dream can lead to disappointment as it does not fill the void of real purpose and meaning one was seeking.  Others may give up becoming hopeless, depressed and seek to escape by numbing the depression becoming addicted to various escape avenues that lead to a downward spiral.  Oscar Wilde once said; “In this world there are two tragedies.  One is not getting everything one wants; the other is getting it.” 

As I am winding down on the 70^th year of my time on this planet I find myself thinking more and more about what I have done with those years and what I should do with whatever time I have left.  I learned how delicate and tenuous life can be when I was 49.  A fluke medical discovery, that I consider divine intervention, led to two major life-saving surgeries.  My doctor told my wife; ‘this is usually discovered in the autopsy of a young man who appeared healthy but died suddenly’.  I wake everyday with the physical and emotional scars that lead me to the reality that I could have easily died 21 years ago.  I get up, even with the aches that come with being 70 and give thanks that I am still here.  Life is a gift, a precious and very fragile gift, don’t waste it or throw it away!

I spend a lot of time thinking on several scriptures.  First from the psalm of Moses, a man who knew about the ups and downs of life as much as anyone!  In Psalm 90:10-12 he writes; “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.  Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”  Life in this ‘sin-scarred’ world truly has much trouble and sorrow.  However, we are reminded that our days are numbered.  We do not know the number of days we have but they pass quickly.  A “heart of wisdom” knows each day could be the last so as Apostle Paul reemphasized hundreds of years later in Ephesians 5:16-17; “Make the most of your time; because these are evil times. So do not be foolish but learn what the Lord wants you to do.”

I find that the best advice concerning the way to make the most of our time comes from the words of one who is historically known as possessing, perhaps, more wisdom than anyone who has ever lived; King Solomon.  He was not just a casual observer with comments.  He possessed the mental capacity, power and wealth to explore virtually every avenue available to man in seeking meaning and purpose to life.  He writes in Ecclesiastes 1:13; “I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!

He expounds on his qualifications and experiences of his journey in the first 11 verses of the second chapter; “I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.  “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.  I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.  I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.  I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.  I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.  I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart.  I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.  I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”

However, his search was not in vain as he gives us the following basic teachings for making the most of our days under the sun. 

1. Make & maintain good relationships.  He writes in chapter 4:9-12; “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.  I don’t think I will ever forget the first funeral I conducted.  I was still in seminary when a funeral director that I knew from our church asked if I would conduct a small service for a man who had no church affiliation but the family wanted a minister.  I knew nothing about the deceased except that he looked like he was in his 50’s and even after the funeral director had done his best one could tell that he had lived a hard life.  Counting myself, the deceased and the funeral director there were less than a dozen people attending the service.  Afterward the best dressed attendee shook my hand and thanked me saying; “I want to thank you for doing this.  I know you did not know him and honestly, we really didn’t know him well either.  However, he was a family member and I felt like he deserved a decent burial.”  What a sad lonely ending to life!  I also remember Rabbi Harold Kushner’s story of watching children building sand castle.  He could see that they were building too closely to the rising tide.  They barely finished their construction when the waves washed all their work away.  However, rather than being disappointed he watched them hold hands, laughing & running as waves came crashing destroying their labor.  This taught him that, ‘The castles we may build in life are temporary and may crumble but can laugh if we are holding hands.”  Make & maintain good relationships!
2. Solomon names many injustices and pain that can be part of life in this imperfect world.  He teaches us to accept pain and suffering as part of this life.  The human tendency is to avoid pain & suffering.  We try taking pills, having a drink, denial or isolate ourselves from people and situations that cause pain.  One cannot avoid pain & suffering and live in this unjust, sin-scarred world.   Only Dead people feel no pain!  Pain can actually be a way for God to teach.  Hebrews 2:10 says; “Everything belongs to God, and all things were created by his power. So God did the right thing when he made Jesus perfect by suffering, as Jesus led many of God's children to be saved and to share in his glory.”  Wow! Jesus was made perfect through suffering!  Pain and suffering are often signs to change the way you are living.  Rather than seeking to avoid pain and suffering it may be better to ask; “What is God trying to teach me in this situation?  What can I learn to do differently than will be beneficial?”
3. Live and savor each moment to its fullest potential.  The best life is not found seeking continuous excitement and is not made up of great events but daily, often small moments to be cherished.  I am again reminded of a story from Rabbi Kushner (Author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People & When All You Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough).  He interviewed an elderly woman asking her to look back and tell him what she would have done differently if she could live her life over.  She thought for a moment and said; “If I had it all to do over, I would eat more ice cream & less beans!”

Savor and enjoy each day!