He died peacefully. Even though at the end he didn't recognize everyone, yet he could still sing hymns. He knew his destination, and longed to get there. A life well lived, a death well died, for an eternity unsurpassed. "I would say in general terms that it's not what you've achieved that counts; it's who you've become." [D. Kogan] Undeniably, who he was is more important than what he did. Yet so many will remember him for his accomplishments. For myself, I remember him as the skeptical gentleman, filled with pedantically honest integrity, who knew the reality of Jesus because he found Him undeniable. As he once said in the midst of tragedy, in fact it was all he could say at the time, "In life and in death, may God be glorified." From the first time I heard this song below, I connected it to this man, this father, this sinner, this victor, my dad.
"The truth is, I am worse off than I think or know ... and He still loves and pursues me .... when I take this to heart, a smile appears on my face. I cheer up". - Charlie Peacock
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2012 is receding at a rapid pace. And before its gone, I think about all the stories I've been part of ... making memories. My 2012 was such a mix that I would not have been able to invent it. "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't" - Mark Twain. My almost-vacation over Christmas was because a fire burned the house from inside out ... a fitting end to a year of surprises. In 2012 I experienced deaths, losses, stresses, fights, frustration, missed opportunities, houses lost, hospitals visited, and more figurative punches than I ever expected. But I also experienced the serious joys of marriages, pregnancies, gifts and pleasures, rare moments, successes, friendships and deep satisfactions ... blessings. These are the fires of life ... they are unexpected, bring dramatic change, cleansing and renewing, and interrupt the moments of reflective calm. The calm of life is there to give us a chance to grow into the changes. Sadly, too often we only seek those moments of stillness as refuge from change. 2013 already has a heavy foot on the accelerator, and my limited ability to anticipate the experiences of 2012 is likely to be no different for 2013. I know there will be surprises ... I just don't know what they will be. It's my choice whether I'll work with change knowing that "... for those who love God all things work together for good" (Rom 8:28) -- not my good necessarily, but for good. |
Why?
Probably the best therapy is to express yourself. Why do you think psychiatrists make you lie on the couch and talk, while all they do is murmur "hmmm", "uhuh", or "go on"? Archives
May 2017
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