Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A Look At Life

I find it interesting the way I look at different facets of my life. In the past week, I have a niece who entered the missionary training center in Provo, Utah to prepare for the next eighteen months she will devote to serving God. Becky and I knelt down to pray together and Briana is now a constant part of those prayers. I love that things are changing and getting better. We pray for Briana that she will be strong as she learns the way that she needs to teach in order to find and instruct those who are waiting to hear her invitation to come unto Christ.
Also, last night, our youngest daughter Laurel, got registered for high school. I can’t believe that it was just yesterday that it was just Becky and I. The years fly by and we enter another chapter with anticipation and great excitement. The growing up of children is part of that change of which I speak. Their maturing is remarkable. What they live for is fascinating. I love it!
I heard a woman tell me years ago that her husband just wasn’t the man that he was the day they got married. I must have given her a strange look as she spoke those words to me. I then responded with, “Do you really want to be married to the same man he was all of those years before?” I want to be somebody that accepts change with gladness. Change gives us the opportunity for growth and maturity. If Becky said that I was the same man she married in 1994, I would be sad that there hadn’t been any growth.
Last night, I went and did some church related visiting into a couple of homes in our neighborhood. Both visits were very good. The people invited us into their homes generously. A man at one of the homes spoke of being somewhat of a troublesome kid when he was younger. I looked at him as he spoke and thought about the journey he had made to be the man he currently has become. The past is good to learn from but the future is bright and there is much to be grateful for in each of our lives.
I am blessed beyond imagination. I hope that I will always allow change to be a part of my life. It is the molding process. The refiner’s fire will shape us into what we are ultimately to become.