Insightful Musings on theScriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Good evening, folks.
Once again, I’m a little worried about me. I thought I had sent this earlier in the day. It was while driving home from our first time to try out the new CHIK-FILA in Clackamas that I realized I hadn’t actually sent it yet. The three of us went there to kind of celebrate Thano still being here.
Have a good night. I feel the bed calling me right now.
Love, Dad/Ray.
In the margin of my Bible is a note dated March 23, 2002 with a box drawn around Psalm 128:1-4. That was Thano’s 20th birthday. Here’s what I wrote there 14 years ago: “At this particular crisis time in our lives, this comes across as a wonderful promise of hope for the future.” That little note not only prompts me to ponder that message and the conditions heavy upon me back then, but to ponder where we are now—since NOW was FUTURE back then.
That was indeed a challenging chapter in our lives. Less than a year previous, Thano had suffered his motor cycle crash with sustained TBI—traumatic brain injury. In fact, today is the 15th anniversary of that life-changing event! Motivated by our immediate priority objective to care for Thano, we had recently returned to the US from our last missionary term in Vanuatu with major decisions to make relative to real estate, income generating, equipment acquisition, how to best help Thano move as close as possible toward recovery, and how to assemble all these components and survive after choosing self-employment over just “getting a job.”
Let me quote those verses: “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table. Thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord” (Psalm 128:1-4).
During that crisis time, I kind of fantasized over owning my own sawmill, working hard as long as I could in the beautiful out of doors, and surviving. It occurred to me just yesterday while working in the most beautiful forest setting anyone could wish for, working alone, minding my own business, being my own boss, deciding to drop another big tree (not really so big—24” at the butt—and it was in keeping with instructions from the landowner), bucking it up, yarding and decking the logs, using my old decrepit track hoe (that marvelously just keeps working, kind of like my old body)—I realized I’m actually living a dream. This is exactly what I dreamed of back then. No—it hasn’t been easy. Yes—I have setbacks and lots of problems to solve along the way. But at the same time I discern God’s sustaining grace, guidance, and blessing as I take time to count those blessings—which causes my eyes to leak profusely. How tempted do you think I am to slack off or give up on FEARING THE LORD?—on seeking Him, loving Him, and trusting Him?