[Faith-talk] Good Night Message for Sunday, November 18 2012

[Paul]

Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end, especially for those of us who unfortunately see our church family only once a week, as is the case with my new church one.  However, hopefully this coming Thursday on Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S. that will change for the undersigned.  In the meantime, how was your day today? Mine was good, especially the big breakfast the ladies prepared. I was told they do this on the Sunday immediately before Thanksgiving Day, something I found surprisingly delightful.

When I first read today's article by Ruth O'Neil a number of years ago, I thought to myself this is a nice article. But, over the years with the loss of my late mom and other things that have happened in my life, this article you are about to read took on a completely new meaning for me. Entitled "Pleasure In the Simple," it is rendered as follows:

We have become lazy in our lifestyles. We no longer have to wash clothes and dishes by hand. We do not have to take the rugs outside and beat them. There are machines called vacuum cleaners that suck up the dirt when we simply push it across our carpets. We do not have to raise and butcher our own cattle and pigs. We do not need to milk the cows or collect the eggs. Much of the fruit we eat is already picked and sometimes already canned and waiting for us at the grocery store.

Life before the conveniences of the twentieth century was hard but good and, most of all, simple. All the gadgets that are supposed to make our lives easier only seem to make it more hectic. My husband has quit raising his voice and hollering to me from one level of our house to another. Now, instead, he calls me on his cell phone from his shop in the basement. Our house is not that big that I would not be able to hear him if he shouted to me!

Sometimes I have to make myself slow down and, on occasion, stop completely. I have to remember that my children will not always be young and that I need to take the time to enjoy them and play games with them. It does not matter in the grand scheme of life if the dishes are done before or after they are in bed.

There are times when my husband wants to just sit on the porch in the evening and talk, even though I could be using that time to fold laundry or to catch up on a backlog of paperwork.

God has given us many gifts that we too often overlook, such as family fun and sunsets or even running through the rain and splashing in puddles. We need to get back to some of the simple pleasures of life. There are days when I wish I lived in the late 1800's, when building a barn was not seen only as work but also as a time for family, friends, food, and fellowship. Our lives have become so busy that everything we do is rush, rush, rush.

First Timothy 6:17 says, "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who give us richly all things to enjoy." God gave us so many things purely for our enjoyment, such as flowers, rainbows, snowflakes and autumn leaves. When was the last time you took a break just to enjoy the simple things in life? Today is the perfect day for just that. Take a moment and enjoy!

Wow, but what an article that was in my humble opinion! I can remember even as recently as the late 1990's when our next-door neighbors would come over and say, "I'm going to the grocery store. Do you need anything?" Now we don't even know them because they make themselves insulated or isolated, whether out of fear or just not caring I don't know. About the only thing that brings our neighborhood together is when there's a power outage and everyone just gathers outside to talk about it.  We know this shouldn't be.  And as to the fear factor with neighbor not trusting neighbor, I'm reminded of 2 Timothy 1:7 which states that "God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind."  Oh well, people will be people, and that's something none of us can deny.  Sending emails or even talking on the phone are great, but for me there's just no substitute for being physically together with one of our friends, if of course that's possible to do. My friend Carol Taylor and the undersigned are a prime example of true and genuine Christian love and togetherness as she will readily agree with.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, throughout this night or day and especially in these last days in which we live. Your Christian brother and friend, Paul