Jacobs Thoughts and Doings

I find comfort in these lush blooms.  I can imagine all sorts of things as I look it these bursting flowers.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.   If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:1 – 3

LOVE.  Do I have it?  Without it life is empty, futile, according to the word of God.  I sit here this morning wondering if I have the kind of love that the Spirit of the Lord is talking about.

To be sure, I have many feelings about people, maybe even about spiritual things.  Those feelings come and go.  Is this the love that Paul is talking about?

Is it right for me to love some and simply ignore another?  Come to think of it, I never thought much about this. For Paul, it is at the very center of our walk with God so I need to stop and ask the simple question, “Do have the love God is speaking of?”

I have no simple answer.  But I do hear God speaking on the matter and want to learn.  Oh, God, grant me the grace to love like you love!

We have several peony plants, one, pictured here, is my favorite, for now. It is luxurious in its colors.  Brings joy to the spirit.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.   

I Corinthians 13:4 – 7

I grew up with these words, especially from my mother.  I know that she struggled with some relationships so her repeating these words had special meaning to her and, even now, speaks to me about relationships.  She spoke hardly ever about the faults of others.  I am sure she knew all about their faults, but she did not pass on those feelings to us.

Now that I am grown I realize that she was not blind to the imperfections in others, in fact she knew them quite well.  But she chose not to share her feelings with us children.  She was super wise in doing that.  She was not blind to them but she no doubt passed the feelings through God’s filter and found them to be hurtful and not helpful and so refused to nurse those feelings.

I believe Paul dealt with the faults in others in the same way, because he certainly wrote about how to deal with them, by washing away the negative feelings with the strong, powerful positives that are ours through the Holy Spirit.  He then loved with God’s love.

Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born.  Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Isaiah 46:3, 4

For some reason I have been thinking about aging.  Maybe because that is what one thinks about when the 90-year birthday approaches.

Things change, little by little.  My medical appointments seem to be piling on one another.  Within the past few days – ears, eyes, skin, blood, and more.  I am almost finished for this cycle, except for the blood work.  I suppose that is my greatest concern because my count has been going down over the past few years.   The point is, as I age I discover my physical limitations keep changing.  I believe the Lord does not want me to concentrate on that.

The Lord knows all about that.  The quote from Isaiah is so wonderful.  Not just wonderful but full of wisdom.  He urges us to focus, not on our health issues or on other issues, for that matter, but on Him.  I am he who will sustain you, I will carry you, and rescue you.

I need to stop thinking about my growing old but to turn my attention to what matters, that is that all the while, Jesus thinks of me!  The emphasis is on God, not me.  That I think of Him is of little consequence, but that He thinks of me, that is marvelous beyond words.

Our yellow rose is breath taking, at least for me.  The color and texture of the rose are just right for me.  I find great joy in seeing the power of spring time.  Never tiring, always fresh and new.

Roma, John and Anna Ruth and I are of the same vintage, still perking but a slower rate, perhaps.  We all have our little pains, etc., but we keep going.  John’s one shoe drags a little if he is not careful, Anna Ruth is caring for her op for replacing the lens on her eye, Roma is complaining of nothing just now, and I with my signs of aging as well.  We rejoiced in the fact that we were there enjoying one another’s presence.

Jane and Glenn are enjoying the exhuberance of life with glories and chaallenges.  They are of the next generation, I suppose  you would say.

I and Roma are number 9 and 10 in our family of 11.  We have always been close as brother and sister, still are, that is for sure.  So, times like this are super special for us.

By the way, none of the limitations seem to be slowing us down as might be expected at this age.  But we are well aware of the fact that we are entering our 90’s.  But that did not come up much in our conversations – we are looking to move into the future by God’s grace, trying not to hold others back!  Our families are strong and resilient.  Praise God for that.

For supper yesterday Glenn and Jane drove us to Franconia to celebrate the anniversary of Roma and John but also their own. (A few days late, the 26th.)  The Ruth’s 67th and Stoltzfus 39! This picture taken in the restaurant has a lot of history behind it.  We have been tight friends for these many years.  We praised God, again, for His goodness.

Memorial Day, 2018

I have thanked God many times that I was raised in the USA.  So many privileges, and responsibilities have come because I was born here.  This is a good time to express my joy for that.  It has been my base for interacting with a host of cultures unlike my own all over the world.  I had the great privilege of moving about in other cultures through the years, cultures in which the church is growing and thriving, and suffering!  I have seen much.  My heart rejoices and is humbled by the witness of the church around the world, especially the new ones.

I want to memorialize the saints that I have met or heard about or read about.  I am indebted to them all.  Some were of my culture, others not, but all influenced me mightily.

So I thank God for my own nationality, but also praise Him for blessing me with wonderful saints in many of the cultures of the world.