First of all, let me acknowledge what you already know: The Lord has blessed you exceedingly. Growing up in a church-going home with parents
who read Bible stories to you every night when you were a little girl and loved
you dearly; given an able mind and parents who supported your education; being convicted
of your sin and presented with the gospel of Jesus Christ at age 15 and coming
to a saving faith in Him; receiving good instruction about praying for and marrying
a Christian man (when you were 20 years old) who loves Jesus more than he loves
you; and being invited by your pastor’s wife to a Bible study when you were a
new college graduate that ignited your love for God’s Word… just listing such
blessings causes the tears to well in my 62-year-old eyes with overwhelming gratitude.
If I could, I’d give you the ability to see into the
future. Then you’d know to stop running
when your knees were screaming in pain (and you were destroying all the cartilage
in them) and to take up some low-impact exercise. You’d know that in a few more years you and
Bill will learn that you’ll never be able to have children of your own and you
wouldn’t need to put yourself through the grueling, dehumanizing process of
infertility tests and procedures. You’d
know that even though your parents are telling you that they have prepared for
their old age and they’ll “never be a burden on our children” (their words),
even they cannot anticipate the way that they will age and you need to be ready
for the day when you will need to care for them. You’d know that even though it’s really hard
to keep up with relationships when you move across the country—and you will
continue to do so, a lot—you must make the extra effort to do it, because when
you get older you’ll see that there’s really nothing more important. You
already know how damaging the sun is, and you’ve stopped trying to get tan
(good girl!), but you’d know when that “freckle” appears on your cheek to have
it checked sooner so that the melanoma would not have gotten as large as it was
when it had to be removed.
But, of course, you can’t see into the future and I can’t
give you that ability. But you don’t
need it, because you know the One who not only knows the future but
orchestrates it. And, he has given you his
Word and “his divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through
our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3
NIV). A verse that will soon capture
your heart is Philippians 3:10: “I want
to know Christ-- yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation
in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (NIV). This pursuit will guide your days for the
rest of your life. Knowing Christ will
be your greatest delight and your firm foundation, and his church will be your
family everywhere you live.
As you pursue him to know and love him
better, the path will not be smooth.
There will be heartaches and temptations and challenges that will shake
you. Some days will be dark. But he will not let you go; “though [s]he may
stumble, [s]he will not fall, for the LORD upholds [her] with his hand” (Psalm
37:24 NIV). Informed by his Word and
seeking him through prayer, you will do the best you can and trust God. That’s all anyone can do. But God says that even though our minds plan
our way, he directs our steps (Proverbs 16:9). He can be trusted. He is sovereign, yes, but also loving and
good and faithful. The trials in your
life will prove this to you, over and over.
Do not fear them. God will
orchestrate them for your good and His glory.
And, by the way, that husband you married
when you were 20? He will prove to be
the best man you will ever know, and your relationship with him the source of
laughter and sweetness and inspiration for decades to come. Cherish every day. They fly by so fast!
