Together!

One Saturday (April 4, 2020) after we’d been “sheltering in place” for over three weeks during the coronavirus outbreak, I said to my husband, “I want to see our daughters and their families. I can’t wait any longer.”

He said, “We’ll go this afternoon.”

Jena and her family came out to greet us. We couldn’t hug them or go inside their house, as we normally would have done. Instead, we stood on their driveway and laughed and talked for about 15 minutes, careful to maintain “social distance” (at least six feet apart).

After having been cooped up indoors for days and days, we especially enjoyed the sunshine, the light and variable breezes, the sight and smell of freshly cut grass, and the birds’ happy chirping.

When we arrived at our other daughter’s house, Jennifer and her family, along with Chloe (their black Lab) came out to “visit” with us. Seeing them looking so well and happy delighted us. We talked and laughed together until we said reluctant goodbyes and headed home.

The following day, as I listened via Facebook to a Sunday School lesson, a phrase in the familiar Scripture passage the teacher read aloud stood out to me.

Why? Because of the joy I’d experienced at being face to face with those dearest to me, I felt a deep appreciation for the promise found in these words written centuries ago by the apostle John:

One day, God will take us to the beautiful place He has prepared for us. We will live forever with Him in that pain-and-problem-free environment.

As I thought about the wonder of that, I realized anew that God has always loved His children and longed for us. Genesis, the first book in the Bible, tells us that God created a beautiful world and then created a man and a woman to enjoy it. Even though they sinned and had to be banished from the Garden of Eden, God has never stopped loving His children and longing to be in close relationship with them.

Story after story in the Bible verifies that. The last book in the Bible promises that God and His children will finally be together forever. That joy will be far greater than the joy I felt when seeing my daughters and their families face to face.

 Note: Here’s the link to a portion of the song, What a Day That Will Be. It was written by Jim Hill, ©1955. May it bless you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40lCmHvmcCY

Memories

Although I don’t always attend the Burgess family reunion every year, I do think about the experiences I've had with many of those who might have been there (and those who’ve passed away).

I especially think of Daddy and Mama and the sweetness of the life we shared before his death in 1982 and hers in 2011. Although we struggled financially, we were rich in many ways. Love filled our home, our church, and our community. Family and wonderful neighbors lived nearby and always helped us, as we did them. My sister and I always felt we had TWO homes, ours and Aunt Delia and Uncle Howard’s home, which was “up the road” about a quarter of a mile from ours. On weekends, when my older brothers and sisters often brought their families, our house bulged at the seams and happy voices mingled in the air.

As I think back on those days with those dear people, I thank God for the blessing they were to me then—and now, for as the writer of Proverbs 10:7 (NIV) so rightly says, “The memory of the righteous will be a blessing.”

His Works

Last evening, our immediate family gathered at our older daughter’s home to enjoy family time and to celebrate the 4^th of July by having fun with some fireworks the guys had provided. We laughed and talked and screamed and covered our ears and ran around as the sparklers spit and sputtered and zoomed and boomed. After the fireworks had been used up, we gathered our belongings and hugged each other, saying what a fun time we’d had while making some wonderful memories.

But while I was still seated in one of the folding chairs, I happened to look up at the sky. The stars were twinkling in the velvety black night sky, making no sound whatsoever. How beautiful. How serene. And certainly a huge contrast to all the noise and flashing lights we’ve just experienced, I thought. And it was.

I thought about the stars the next morning when my daily Bible reading brought me to Isaiah chapter 40, where I found these words in verse 26: Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; because of the greatness and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing (NASB).

While we’d been laughing and talking and having fun with manmade lights, the Creator had been providing an awesome show in the night sky, as He has been doing night after night for untold centuries. It’s sad that we rarely see it. It’s sadder still, that, seeing it, we fail to worship the One who created those stars—and everything else!

(C) 2014 by Johnnie Ann Gaskill

Note: I failed to take a picture of the night sky, but here is one that I took (through the windshield) while my husband was driving us to the fireworks show. The clouds also were created and are sustained by the Creator, as are the family members He's blessed us with! Seeing His work should remind us to praise and thank HIM.