Blessed Blithering

I don’t know why I write this blog. No, that’s not true. I must. Hey, I’m retired! Golf? No; no, no… not me. At best, I play that backwards: flog. I was told that my swing is most fluid around water; which brings me to fishing. To much effort to tackle; although to be a fisher of men? Absolutely.

So, anyway, given I have all this time… and even more so a desire to live out the rest of my days serving the Lord Jesus… I lift up my eyes, and I see in FB a field of gold… brothers and sisters in Christ that I may never know on earth, but I am convinced that I will have an eternity to explore together with them later. Coincidentally, I should tell you that the Holy Spirit has been quite a friend; drawing nigh to me… providing me insight into what I’ve shared over the past few weeks. For now, I suppose this is His niche for me. Anyway, speaking of friends…

Do you remember singing as a child ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus?’  I think we need to know more today that Jesus is our friend as adults; than as children. There are many lonely adults; even those who are happily married and are blessed with large, loving families. Without the Lord, we are as helium-filled birthday balloons. Whatever joy our loved ones and activities bring to us, we soon leak and find ourselves back on the ground.  That’s not to say the ground isn’t a good place, but to be on the ground and grounded are separate matters. That we are grounded in God in Christ is to know we stand on a firm foundation. The helium of the Spirit comes from the most high God; it’s not as the world dispenses it. Amen? Yes, amen.

Let’s see; what other songs… Oh! I love the song ‘Precious Memories.’ I learned that too when I was a child. George Beverley Shea sang that at some of the Billy Graham Crusades back in the 50s’ and 60s’. Recently, ‘Precious Memories,‘ took on renewed meaning for me as I thought about singing it at the memory care facility where my father-in-law is currently in residence. Alzheimer’s. ‘Precious Memories,‘ please don’t take that as a pun. While a punster, it wasn’t meant to be taken that way. Alzheimer’s is a terrible and sad disease. In fact, the other day at the facility I began singing ‘In The Garden,’ to help out a dear woman who went there to lead a worship service. When I began singing, a lady who suffered dementia and was sitting at the other end of the counter from where I stood, began singing it with me. Up until that moment in the service, she remained quiet… distant. Then, when I began, she looked at me and smiled. She knew the words and joined in: ‘I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses. And the voice I hear, falling on my ear. The Son of God discloses….’   She had a lovely voice.

Well, if anything, that song resonated with that sweet woman and me, and we shared a wonderful moment of deeply spiritual fellowship as we found ourselves singing it to each other as if no one else was in the room. That moment taught me that while the flesh decays; and our precious memories may fail, the Spirit of God remembers and summons us anew to join in His blessed fellowship. That’s the wonder and promise we have in possessing the mind of Christ. He remembers His love for us even though our memory may fail. These are some of the sweetest and most endearing people in the world… childlike… dependent, yes; but you could tell those whose friend was Jesus. I saw His reflection in their eyes as they sang.

Others? Well, you never know; so, we pray.