6/20/2025
"My soul yearns for you in the night;
in the morning my spirit longs for you."
Isaiah 26:9
My soul doth magnify the Lord! The morning has clear skies and the promise of a lovely day, a welcoming day. This afternoon my sister and I are planning a visit to Hopewell to visit our cousin whom we've not seen since my daddy passed on to heaven in December 2012. We've visited by mail and phone, but he lives so close to us that we need to visit more often. Time is precious, and we are all advancing in age. Only God knows when our appointed time will come, so until then we need to value the days we have, and if possible, make up for the ones we've missed. Get to know each other all over again!
Our cousins on my mama's side have already started making preliminary plans for a cousin get-together in early autumn, because we've been meeting up a lot recently at either the funeral home or the church for memorial services. I think I much prefer a living reunion. Mama's side is much larger, and it spreads out over the eastern states, perhaps one in California. I'm in the thinking stages of making a road trip to New Mexico early October when the air is brisk and fresh. It's my favorite time of year! I've not been back since I moved the end of October 2021. That's way too long, even if we do keep up with each other a little better than our eastern states families.
Family visits are times to catch up on what each one has been doing over the course of a lifetime really, because I've been gone for so many years, living in another state almost 2,000 miles between. Everyone grew up while I was gone, had a family, most of whom I've never met. The questions always come up: "What have you been doing all these years? Did you work? Did you get married? Did you have children?" All legitimate questions that shouldn't be uncomfortable to answer, but for me, my life has not been of an ordinary lifestyle or in any way "normal," and I've moved around so much. I didn't have a home of my own since my divorce 25 years ago until now. But then, I'm living in my parents' home, so that throws another shift into the mix. Everything about my life has been nothing less than out of the ordinary. And every change, every move I have to give glory to God for keeping me, for loving me, for saying to me that "You are Mine." I think I make people anxious, because the Lord is my life, and everything about me has to do with Him. I'm a living, breathing testimony of the furious love of God, and I share this testimony with everyone. I often sound like a street evangelist I imagine. But to whom much is given, much is required.
Each time I recount my life story, always in part, because it is so extensive, the devil ends up tormenting me about how "stupid" I sounded, or accused me of bragging, when there is absolutely nothing in my life to brag about, except the love of God! As I type these words, my eyes well up with tears just remembering certain times, wondering how did I do it, how did God bring me to another port in the storm?! His mercy! His grace!
Early this morning I woke up to the sound of alerts going off in Israel, as the ballistic missiles from Iran were pounding Israel from so many directions, in so many areas, all targeted in well populated civilian areas. Pastor Jack had mentioned feelings of imminent terror, and for Israel, this is happening exponentially, sometimes throughout the night (my day), and sometimes whole days or nights are spent in bomb shelters. I decided that I'd leave my cell phone in the car while I visited my cousin, as questions about Israel, and my involvement, causes much speculation and assumptions on the part of why I am doing this? The response is really rather simple, but one many people just take for granted. I'm met with raised eyebrows, a quick glance to another, or many other questions. The answer is "God." So off we'll go again, no doubt, on another side journey of my life on wheels.
I pray that my day is quiet, peaceful, filled with laughter, jubilant with joy, and ridiculously relaxing. I call it a day without war, but perhaps it would be better put to say a day I don't have to focus on war. At least until I am reunited with my cell phone and computer screen. I don't need a computer screen to tell me when to pray or how to pray. I can be listening to child's play or absorbed in adult-rich conversation, and be spiritually standing on the wall in Jerusalem. A watchman never takes a break or disengages from the assigned post on the wall. I have to hurry home for Shabbat, as it begins at 6 pm. Friends are waiting. At least for a brief time, I can focus on who holds our future in His hands, and who watches over Israel, because He never slumbers nor sleeps.
"I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help?
My help comes from the LORD, who makes heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to be moved; He that keeps you
will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade
at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you
by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The LORD shall preserve your going out and
your coming in from this time forth
and even forevermore."
Psalm 121
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