The Thirties

Psalm 16: 7-11 NLT

 ⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.
 ⁸ I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

 ⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
 ¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
 ¹¹ You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

My thirties would appear to be the “best years”.  Professionally, I was with a stable company and getting lots of opportunities to grow and develop.  ♥ Tracy ♥ and I got married.  We spent our honeymoon in San Francisco and Monterrey California!  We built our dream home in Sugar Land.  Haley came along and we were so richly blessed.  We celebrated – our ♥wedding♥ and Haley’s birth with many showers.  Soon we were involved at Williams Trace Baptist Church.  The adult choir, teaching Sunday school, committees, and the deacons all provided us opportunities for service and fun.  New friends – Bryan, Jimmie, Doc, Phil, Al, Jose, and many many more.  Deacon ordination and deacon family parties.  Deacon meetings and barbeque!  Fellowship, friendship and service.

⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
And even in the sadness and grieving when my parents died, I was sustained. I knew all this was blessing from heaven and my relationship with Jesus grew as I leaned on Him and learned His ways. 

The Twenties

Psalm 16: 7-11 NLT

 ⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.
 ⁸ I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

 ⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
 ¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
 ¹¹ You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

The decade of my twenties was a bit tumultuous.  I got married at twenty and finished college. I took a job in Houston and left Knoxville moving 950 miles from home.  We left a lot behind:  family, friends, church, and even my Tennessee twang (really - it used to be worse).   We struggled to make new friends as I worked too hard and left her alone too much.  We slept in on Sundays and made few common friends.  Eventually we divorced, and I looked for solace the only place I knew – the local church.  And I made more good friends – Dennis, Chuck, Linda, Bobby and others that I still love and stay in touch with.  I got to teach youth Sunday school and be part of some young lives.   I got to hold the guys back so the girls could get to the food at the fellowships.  I got asked “How far is too far?” every year.  I got to take high school guys to see wrestling matches (and while some think the action in the ring is scripted, I assure the fights among the crowd members is not).  We played softball and racquetball and I developed a real appreciation for Mexican food!.  It has been a blessing to reconnect with many of these youth with facebook and see how our Lord is using these “youth” in His service.  Gregg, Brian, Deanna, and Clay to name a few. 

And in the storms of the unpardonable sin of divorce and being nearly a thousand miles from home, He reached out to me. 

⁸ I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

I experienced Jesus always with me; right beside me.  I felt shaken, but He held me securely in His hand.  I began to comprehend the difference in happiness and joy.  Happiness was situation based and uncontrollable.  Joy from Christ is indwelling and sustaining.  I can choose to be joyful, no matter my situation.

The Teens

Psalm 16: 7-11 NLT

 ⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.
 ⁸ I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

 ⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.
 ¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
 ¹¹ You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

Normally when I get the privilege of preparing a series of devotions, I get my assignment early.  I spend weeks thinking about it and reading the lesson and related scriptures.  Ideas come and go, until they gel in my head and eventually migrate into the word processor before the electronic trip to Beth and David for clean up and publication.  This time, I had a shorter prep time and postponed my studying.  I got a reminder note of my due date and even took a vacation day to write.  Feels like cramming for a test in college. 

Then this morning on the way to breakfast with my group of brothers, the AM radio played an old hymn:  The Longer I Serve Him, the Sweeter He Grows.  The chorus goes:

The longer serve Him, the sweeter He grows,
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.

This series is on joy, and I got to thinking of how God has been with me over my decades and how He has sustained me in good and bad, in abundance and in want, with others and alone and about the difference between joy and happiness.  

For today, I think of the decade with my teen years.  I grew up in a home with a working mom and an alcoholic dad.  We had times of want and times of conflict.  I was active in my youth group and Christ was a very real part of my life.  He guided me through high school with good grades and into college.  I experienced my dad’s attempted suicide, and watched him quit drinking.  I held part time jobs and got a car (‘73 Nova Super Sport – Maroon with white racing stripes white letter tires and rally wheels).  I made good Christian friends (many of whom I still have contact with) and we had so many fun times together – Gary, Rod, and Chris to name a few.  We played softball, we studied, we sang 50’s music and gospel, we taught Sunday school, and we prayed.  And I experienced God with me.  A growing relationship and a foundation I leaned on.  A lot. 

⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.

He guided me, even in the dark times.  It’s a blessing that I can look back now and know He was there and remember the joy and peace with my Lord.