Mid-Week Message - Realizations

Life has a way of humbling a person.  I remember when I was younger and thinking that I had it pretty much figured out.  I even had a picture hanging on the wall in my living room of a girl that had the world at the end of a string.  It was a gift from my dad.  I would look at that picture and think, "I have a job that pays my bills, a car that gets me where I need to go, a place to live and friends to have fun with."  I thought that was life.  At least in my single twenties.  

Then in my thirties things got a little tougher.  I had a couple of health issues and lost that job.  After an extended stay in the hospital, I found a new job and there I found the person who would become my husband.  Again, I thought life was pretty good.  And it was.  Almost two years after we married, our daughter was born.  I found out then how huge was the capacity of the human heart for love and I also got a lesson in how, no matter how I tried, I could not protect that little one from pain.  As she grew I rejoiced and I cried at times.  And prayed. Oh, how I prayed for her and for my husband. Inadequacy was the new perception of life.  

As I have continued to age, I have come to realize two major things.  The first is that I am beginning to see just how needy I truly am.  Physically, my body is weakening.  I have trouble with arthritic knees and must use a cane.  I make sounds that I thought I would never make like pops and creaks and sighs.  I need help doing certain things that I used to not think twice about.  Mentally I am still doing well.  Although I used to have a memory that never lagged, that has changed some.  I may have trouble remembering a name or a date but it will come to me eventually, usually in the middle of the night, but I can finally remember.  Okay, sometimes I "google it", but at least I know how to find it.  Emotionally, I find that I desire to be around those I love more than I ever have before. This is probably due to losing so many loved ones and understanding how temporary life is.  

The other major realization, and the most important, is how much I need and love Jesus.  I was only five or six years old when our neighbor on Susan Drive in Amarillo, Texas, Betty Allen, took me to church for the first time.  I can still remember the sounds of the people talking in the hallways and the wonderful church smell that I will always associate with that day.  I fell in love with Jesus then, even though I didn't know much about Him.  Now, after all these years, that love continues to grow and I can finally comprehend the fact that, were it not for Him, I would have nothing.  Because He is everything.  All the good that is in any part of my existence comes directly from Him.  He is my breath and my heartbeat.  Without Him, I would cease to be.  I can't imagine even wanting to live if I did not have Jesus as my Lord.  All hope comes through Him. What purpose would life have if there was no hope?  

Bill Gaither wrote a song that is very familiar but is appropriate to close this message.  If you know the song, sing it while you read the words.  May you be blessed.  

There's Just Something About That Name

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus There's just something about that name Master, Savior, Jesus Like the fragrance after the rain Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Let all heaven and earth proclaim Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away But there's something about that name.