Fads come and go, phases ebb and flow.
I pray that my life has been a bit of contrast. Particularly for my family who know me best, and occasionally see my worst. Brenda and I have three adult sons (and their families), whom as a parent, I observe pass through normal stages of life, occasional ups and downs, and periodic diversion into the ditch, even wanderings in the wilderness. I have seen them embrace differing philosophies of life, perspectives, and lifestyles. I hope that as they look at my life over these past decades, they deduce an enduring constant; always “Dad and Jesus.”
I doubt seriously they see perfection when they look at me. There is none. I do however, suspect they see authenticity. For, I have sought to be just that. But more so, I want them to grasp the how and why of my defined and deliberate lifestyle and admittedly, somewhat inflexible value system. I am a redeemed child of God. I love the Lord. —It’s up to them whether they admire that or not.
In brutal candor, I am skeptical they give me much kinetic thought. With busy lives consumed by careers and kids, their plates are full. As human nature goes, only after I join the Heavenly Host, might they reflect briefly on such weighty matters as my life, death, and the deeper meaning of both.
How about you? Do you ponder what matters most?
Life on this planet can throw you any number of curves. It has been said that ‘the only thing that stays the same is change’. Perhaps that is true. But one thing I know for sure is that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). You can count on that — through thick and thin.