A HOME - MORE THAN JUST A HOUSE
Over a period of five days God spoke into existence an entire creation. At the end of every day He observed his work and proclaimed that it was "very good." On the sixth day He created man but on reflection observed, for the first time, something that was "not good." "It was not good that man should dwell alone." (Genesis 2:18)
It's been over forty years since I stood before an altar and watched my young bride come down the aisle on her father's arm. I remember the day as if it were yesterday. I thought she was the most beautiful and most wonderful girl in the whole world. I still do.
Men and women are designed to be married. A wise old professor at college once told me, "A single man is only one-third of a man; when he gets married he becomes two-thirds of a man, and when he has children he becomes a whole man." That is the plan that was in the mind of God from the beginning. The plan is so simple. A boy meets a girl, they fall in love, they get married, have children and live happily ever after. Why do some people find it so difficult to succeed at such a simple plan for life? The problem is purely and simply a lack of commitment. Yes, they are not committed to each other; but more important, they are not committed to God and to his plan for their life.
The number one problem in America today is a lack of respect for authority. Children are not taught to respect the authority of their parents, their teachers, or other adult figures in their lives. They grow up without being taught to respect our laws, our system of government, or the rights of others. Most important, they have not been taught to respect the authority of the God who created them. Because we do not respect the one who designed us and created us, we do not respect the authority of the Bible He gave us to guide our lives. As a result our life is not what it could be and our marriages are not what they should be.
But step back for a moment, if you will, and take a good and hard look at your own deepest needs and desires. For the moment forget pleasing God and concentrate on exactly what it is that you need most in order to find true happiness and fulfillment in your own life. I'm not talking about money, or the stuff it can buy. I'm talking the "gut needs". Things like being wanted, needed, loved, and appreciated. I'm talking about reaching that level of self esteem that causes you to be fully satisfied with yourself and happy with the life you are living. I believe that everyone would agree that there are three basic needs which are absolute necessities for a happy life.
1. We need to have a place called home.
A home is more than shelter from a storm, it is a refuge for the soul. It is a place where we are safe and secure, where we are loved and wanted, and where we are accepted in spite of all our faults. It is a place we can return to after having been beaten and bruised by the slings and arrows of the world in which we live. It is a light burning in the darkness and someone waiting to welcome us in from the cold. It is a place where hearts meld into one, tears are shared, hurts are kissed away, and love flows from heart to heart. It is a place where hugs and warm cookies can be found. A person may travel the world but there is only one place called home, and there is no other place like it.
2. We need a companion
I am not talking here about a spouse but a best friend. We need a person who cares more for us and our happiness than for any other. We need someone to talk to who we can trust to keep our deepest secretes. We need a shoulder to cry on and a friend to laugh with. We need someone who will be there when the night is the darkest, the storm is the strongest, and we are at our weakest. We need someone to understand our deepest aspirations, our greatest goals, and our most pressing needs. We need to know that out of this entire world there is one person who will be there when all the others have left; one who will stand by our side against all odds, and never lose faith in us as a person. Yes, we need a friend.
3. We need something to live for that is greater than ourselves.
We need a goal to strive toward, a great task to complete, or a mountain to climb. It may be a challenge, an idea, or a dream, but we need something to look toward which motivates us and drives us to even greater accomplishments. Some would say that we need to be loved, wanted and needed and this is certainly part of it. But in the broadest sense, we need a goal for our life. We need to feel the self esteem from having striven and won, against all odds. We need a cause worth living for.
If people have a place they can call home, a true friend, and a goal to strive toward, they will be happy no matter what the world may throw at them. They can stand tall in the certain knowledge that they have the three things necessary to make their life complete.
Now, with these three things in mind, consider the life that the Bible teaches is available to every person who seeks first the "Kingdom of God". What are the implications for our lives that following the teachings of the Bible would bring about? More important, would it result in a happier and more fulfilling life than we enjoy today? Take your present life, lay it along side that described in the Bible, then be honest with yourself.
God's Plan for the Home
Mankind was created to be married, both men and women. Notice what was said when God performed the first marriage.
"And God said, It is not good that man should be alone. I will make a helper for him" And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man He made into a woman, and he brought her to the man.
And Adam said:
'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of
my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because
she is taken out of man.'
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to
his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked,
the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." Genesis 2:18,21-25
If a person respects God, he will respect the instructions God has given him for living our lives. Too many marriages today are based on nothing more than sexual attraction and this is a formula for disaster. It reduces men and women to the level of the animals over which they are suppose to have dominion. Animals, with a few exceptions, mate and go on their own way. Unfortunately this is true of many people today. But the fact is that if we will but take the time to find it, God has a much better way for us to live. Consider, if you will, a few obvious facts concerning God's way for our lives and compare it to your own needs for happiness.
First of all, it is obvious that men and women were designed to be physically compatible. But what many fail to realize is that they were also designed to be emotionally and psychologically compatible. Two men or two women can achieve a certain degree of sexual gratification, but they can never achieve the emotional and psychological compatibility that one man and one woman can. Neither can this be achieved in a group situation. Do you think that you could really achieve the closeness and oneness desired if you had to share your husband or wife with several other men or women. God's plan for one man and one woman cannot be improved on, nor can anything else be substituted for it.
Second, consider this very obvious fact. Men and women possess many similar characteristics, both physical and emotional. But there are also characteristics that are only possessed by one or the other. Only the sperm of a man can impregnate a woman, and only a mother can nurse a child. Our very physical nature teaches us that we are complementary to one another. Just as it takes a man and a woman to produce a child, it takes a man and a woman to produce a life of total happiness and fulfillment. By definition, if total happiness requires all of the characteristics possessed by both men and women, and it does, then neither an all male or all female relationship can bring together 100% of that required for total happiness. Only the combination of both the male and the female characteristics can achieve this purpose.
Third, it takes a man and a woman to raise a child. Study after study have proven beyond a doubt that children need both the male and the female influence in their lives. If either is missing the child will be short changed. Because men and women are different, they bring different influences into the child's life. It is the combination of these influences that allows the child to become a complete person. Nor can this be achieved in a group situation. The three-way bond that exists between a father, a mother, and a child cannot be replicated in any other arrangement.
There is nothing more beautiful than a mother and father, side by side next to the bed of a sick child, and there is nothing more comforting to the child. It is amazing how many little hurt elbows, skinned knees, and other "owies" can be made "all better" by mommy's kiss. If our world is to continue, it must be continuously populated. But it is not enough that new children be born. These children must be nourished in the early years, trained in the formative years and disciplined in the developing years if they are to become well-rounded and productive men and women. This is the role and purpose of parents in God's plan for the world. But, beyond the role of parenting, there are numerous other needs that are only satisfied in the marriage relationship. Now lets go back to the three things necessary to produce complete happiness.
1. We need to have a place called home.
There is something very special about the word home. Great poems have been written about it and beautiful songs have been composed regarding it. And no matter who you are, that word will bring something very special to your mind. Yet it is not the place but the people that make it home. Edgar A. Guest wrote, "it takes a heap o'livin in a house to make it home." It takes babies being born, children laughing, parents sacrificing and a lot of growing to forge that inseparable bond we call family. God causes each of us to be born into a family and if we are fortunate, it will be a good family. If it is not a good family, the problem is with mankind, not God. He knows exactly the environment a child needs in which to grow and thrive and He designed the family to provide that environment. There is no other arrangement that can take its place.
2. We need a companion.
Every person needs someone who loves them more than anyone else in the world. On the day we are born God gives each of us one person to fill that role. We call her Mother. But Mother is only temporarily in that role. Some will help their mother celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary and others will never know the mother who brought them into this world. But as long as we live, we need someone who will love us more than they love anyone else. We need a best friend.
God intends that role to be filled by husbands and wives, and that a very special bond exists between them. That bond insures each of them that they are the most important person alive in the others' eyes. There is nothing else that can fill that need the way marriage can. The world can be very cold and cruel. Each day we go out fresh and every night we come home feeling like we have taken a beating. Disasters happen and great tragedy strikes without notice. Yet, if we know that very special person will be waiting with a hug and a kiss, we can deal with anything the world throws at us.
The rich and famous bask in their fame and acknowledgments. They spend millions of dollars to build mansions to live in and fill them with servants and "friends." They live lavish lifestyles all over the world. They are envied by many. But if you can come home to the loving arms of a wonderful husband or wife and the shouts and hugs of small children you have something that is far better that anything the great and beautiful people have. You have a home.
There is a book called, "Acres of Diamonds" by Russell H. Conwell. It is the story of a man who leaves home at a very young age to seek his fortune by searching for diamonds. His search carries him all over the world and through many adventures, but in the end he returns home, old, broke and looking back on a life of frustration and unhappiness. He decides to plant a garden in his backyard. What does he find when he starts digging up the soil? You know what he found. Acres of diamonds right there in his own back yard. How many have left home and hearth to search the world over for happiness, only to return home and find that the real riches were those left behind.
Within every heart lives the desire to be needed and accepted. What's more, there is a need to be loved and admired. The best kept secret in the world is that it takes only one person to fulfill this need. God understands this need; He put it there. He also made us male and female for the very purpose of fulfilling that need.
We have the need to express ourselves and we need an environment that allows us to be open without feeling the threat of rejection or ridicule. Things build up inside us and we need an outlet. We need someone to talk to. Must that someone be a spouse? Not really. Many people have good friends who can fulfill that need, but the problem with friends is that they are never permanent.
I think back through the years about the best friends I've had. They were all good friends but none of them are here today. In grade school there was a friend named Albert. We were inseparable until my family moved to another town. In High School there was a friend named Bubba. He was the best man at my wedding but we now live a thousand miles apart. In the Navy I had a friend named Buddy, but we haven't seen each other in over forty years. A few years back there was a man named Tommy but I lost him to cancer. Good friends are wonderful but in today's society they can be very temporary.
I forgot to mention one other "best friend." We met in college and became best friends. We shared our troubles and fears. We shared our dreams and aspirations. We shared our hopes for the future. We became best friends in every sense of the word. Six months later I married her and right now as I type this she is sleeping in the next room. Yes, our need for companionship is daily and God knows that we need a person who will be there every day. Only a spouse can fully and completely fill the role of "best friend."
It is true that each of us needs someone to love us, but it is equally true that each of us needs someone whom we can love. The ability to love is the greatest gift God has blessed us with. To be whole persons, we need to be able to have a deep and unfaltering love for another human being. There are only two legitimate outlets for this level of love. One is for our children, the other is for our spouse. We do not have this kind of love for our parents. Children do not love parents in the same way that parents love children. If they did, they would never leave home. We do not have this level of love for friends. No, this level of love can only exist between spouses and by parents toward their children. It can only exist in the family context.
3. We need something to live for that is greater than ourselves.
We have been born into this world. As a result we have opportunities and also obligations. Too many of us go through it and never really find our place in the grand scheme of things. I have known many people who have made modest accomplishments and some that have found limited happiness by various means. But I have met very few who are thoroughly and completely satisfied with who they are, and perfectly content with the lives they are leading. The rare few who have reached this level of self-satisfaction have found something that the rest haven't. They have found something to live for that is greater than themselves.
I have never known a truly happy, and totally fulfilled, man or woman who didn't find that happiness and fulfillment in the context of family. The reason is simple. Outside of family there is nothing more important than self. But within the family there is every reason to place self second to the needs of the family. And doing this brings about a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that cannot be matched in any other environment.
In addition, if a person truly believes that there is life after death and that life is dependent on the life lived in this world, their entire life will be directed toward making heaven their eternal home. It has been said that a man's birth is merely an event, while the path he walks becomes his life. What we believe with regard to God will determine the path we walk; the path we walk will determine the life we live and the life we live will determine how we spent eternity.
* * * * * * * * *
Judy was 5 years old when her mother began keeping Ray during the day. They spent their childhood as playmates. In their teens they went to high school dances and football games as boyfriend and girlfriend. They married while Ray was serving in the United States Navy during World War II. They were a part of the "Greatest Generation." When Ray came home they raised their children, worshiped their God, and grew old together.
Judy was 79 years old that morning, as she stood looking out the window at Ray mowing the grass with a small tractor. She saw the incline on which he was mowing and she saw the tractor as it rolled over, pinning Ray under it. She could hear the motor running and see the blade turning as she rushed down the steep incline. She yelled for help but there was no one there to hear.
Days later, after Ray recovered, a friend said to me, "I am surprised that Judy was able to lift that tractor off Ray without any help." My reply; "I would only have been surprised if she hadn't." You see, Ray and Judy were lovers. Their lives had been molded together in a bond that could never be broken. Many years before God had made them one, and forsaking all others, they chose to cling to each other; for better and for worse. They know the meaning of the words, "Till death do us part." and, nothing short of death itself will ever separate Ray and Judy.
* * * * * * * * *
If you are a husband or a wife, a daddy or a mommy, you have the opportunity to reach a level of satisfaction and fulfillment that cannot be matched in any other way. It is the result of loving and being loved, without condition or requirement, for as "long as you both shall live." Every person born into this world wants this level of fulfillment and happiness. God understands this because He also wanted it for himself.
That's why He created you and me.
Over a period of five days God spoke into existence an entire creation. At the end of every day He observed his work and proclaimed that it was "very good." On the sixth day He created man but on reflection observed, for the first time, something that was "not good." "It was not good that man should dwell alone." (Genesis 2:18)
It's been over forty years since I stood before an altar and watched my young bride come down the aisle on her father's arm. I remember the day as if it were yesterday. I thought she was the most beautiful and most wonderful girl in the whole world. I still do.
Men and women are designed to be married. A wise old professor at college once told me, "A single man is only one-third of a man; when he gets married he becomes two-thirds of a man, and when he has children he becomes a whole man." That is the plan that was in the mind of God from the beginning. The plan is so simple. A boy meets a girl, they fall in love, they get married, have children and live happily ever after. Why do some people find it so difficult to succeed at such a simple plan for life? The problem is purely and simply a lack of commitment. Yes, they are not committed to each other; but more important, they are not committed to God and to his plan for their life.
The number one problem in America today is a lack of respect for authority. Children are not taught to respect the authority of their parents, their teachers, or other adult figures in their lives. They grow up without being taught to respect our laws, our system of government, or the rights of others. Most important, they have not been taught to respect the authority of the God who created them. Because we do not respect the one who designed us and created us, we do not respect the authority of the Bible He gave us to guide our lives. As a result our life is not what it could be and our marriages are not what they should be.
But step back for a moment, if you will, and take a good and hard look at your own deepest needs and desires. For the moment forget pleasing God and concentrate on exactly what it is that you need most in order to find true happiness and fulfillment in your own life. I'm not talking about money, or the stuff it can buy. I'm talking the "gut needs". Things like being wanted, needed, loved, and appreciated. I'm talking about reaching that level of self esteem that causes you to be fully satisfied with yourself and happy with the life you are living. I believe that everyone would agree that there are three basic needs which are absolute necessities for a happy life.
1. We need to have a place called home.
A home is more than shelter from a storm, it is a refuge for the soul. It is a place where we are safe and secure, where we are loved and wanted, and where we are accepted in spite of all our faults. It is a place we can return to after having been beaten and bruised by the slings and arrows of the world in which we live. It is a light burning in the darkness and someone waiting to welcome us in from the cold. It is a place where hearts meld into one, tears are shared, hurts are kissed away, and love flows from heart to heart. It is a place where hugs and warm cookies can be found. A person may travel the world but there is only one place called home, and there is no other place like it.
2. We need a companion
I am not talking here about a spouse but a best friend. We need a person who cares more for us and our happiness than for any other. We need someone to talk to who we can trust to keep our deepest secretes. We need a shoulder to cry on and a friend to laugh with. We need someone who will be there when the night is the darkest, the storm is the strongest, and we are at our weakest. We need someone to understand our deepest aspirations, our greatest goals, and our most pressing needs. We need to know that out of this entire world there is one person who will be there when all the others have left; one who will stand by our side against all odds, and never lose faith in us as a person. Yes, we need a friend.
3. We need something to live for that is greater than ourselves.
We need a goal to strive toward, a great task to complete, or a mountain to climb. It may be a challenge, an idea, or a dream, but we need something to look toward which motivates us and drives us to even greater accomplishments. Some would say that we need to be loved, wanted and needed and this is certainly part of it. But in the broadest sense, we need a goal for our life. We need to feel the self esteem from having striven and won, against all odds. We need a cause worth living for.
If people have a place they can call home, a true friend, and a goal to strive toward, they will be happy no matter what the world may throw at them. They can stand tall in the certain knowledge that they have the three things necessary to make their life complete.
Now, with these three things in mind, consider the life that the Bible teaches is available to every person who seeks first the "Kingdom of God". What are the implications for our lives that following the teachings of the Bible would bring about? More important, would it result in a happier and more fulfilling life than we enjoy today? Take your present life, lay it along side that described in the Bible, then be honest with yourself.
God's Plan for the Home
Mankind was created to be married, both men and women. Notice what was said when God performed the first marriage.
"And God said, It is not good that man should be alone. I will make a helper for him" And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man He made into a woman, and he brought her to the man.
And Adam said:
'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of
my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because
she is taken out of man.'
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to
his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked,
the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." Genesis 2:18,21-25
If a person respects God, he will respect the instructions God has given him for living our lives. Too many marriages today are based on nothing more than sexual attraction and this is a formula for disaster. It reduces men and women to the level of the animals over which they are suppose to have dominion. Animals, with a few exceptions, mate and go on their own way. Unfortunately this is true of many people today. But the fact is that if we will but take the time to find it, God has a much better way for us to live. Consider, if you will, a few obvious facts concerning God's way for our lives and compare it to your own needs for happiness.
First of all, it is obvious that men and women were designed to be physically compatible. But what many fail to realize is that they were also designed to be emotionally and psychologically compatible. Two men or two women can achieve a certain degree of sexual gratification, but they can never achieve the emotional and psychological compatibility that one man and one woman can. Neither can this be achieved in a group situation. Do you think that you could really achieve the closeness and oneness desired if you had to share your husband or wife with several other men or women. God's plan for one man and one woman cannot be improved on, nor can anything else be substituted for it.
Second, consider this very obvious fact. Men and women possess many similar characteristics, both physical and emotional. But there are also characteristics that are only possessed by one or the other. Only the sperm of a man can impregnate a woman, and only a mother can nurse a child. Our very physical nature teaches us that we are complementary to one another. Just as it takes a man and a woman to produce a child, it takes a man and a woman to produce a life of total happiness and fulfillment. By definition, if total happiness requires all of the characteristics possessed by both men and women, and it does, then neither an all male or all female relationship can bring together 100% of that required for total happiness. Only the combination of both the male and the female characteristics can achieve this purpose.
Third, it takes a man and a woman to raise a child. Study after study have proven beyond a doubt that children need both the male and the female influence in their lives. If either is missing the child will be short changed. Because men and women are different, they bring different influences into the child's life. It is the combination of these influences that allows the child to become a complete person. Nor can this be achieved in a group situation. The three-way bond that exists between a father, a mother, and a child cannot be replicated in any other arrangement.
There is nothing more beautiful than a mother and father, side by side next to the bed of a sick child, and there is nothing more comforting to the child. It is amazing how many little hurt elbows, skinned knees, and other "owies" can be made "all better" by mommy's kiss. If our world is to continue, it must be continuously populated. But it is not enough that new children be born. These children must be nourished in the early years, trained in the formative years and disciplined in the developing years if they are to become well-rounded and productive men and women. This is the role and purpose of parents in God's plan for the world. But, beyond the role of parenting, there are numerous other needs that are only satisfied in the marriage relationship. Now lets go back to the three things necessary to produce complete happiness.
1. We need to have a place called home.
There is something very special about the word home. Great poems have been written about it and beautiful songs have been composed regarding it. And no matter who you are, that word will bring something very special to your mind. Yet it is not the place but the people that make it home. Edgar A. Guest wrote, "it takes a heap o'livin in a house to make it home." It takes babies being born, children laughing, parents sacrificing and a lot of growing to forge that inseparable bond we call family. God causes each of us to be born into a family and if we are fortunate, it will be a good family. If it is not a good family, the problem is with mankind, not God. He knows exactly the environment a child needs in which to grow and thrive and He designed the family to provide that environment. There is no other arrangement that can take its place.
2. We need a companion.
Every person needs someone who loves them more than anyone else in the world. On the day we are born God gives each of us one person to fill that role. We call her Mother. But Mother is only temporarily in that role. Some will help their mother celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary and others will never know the mother who brought them into this world. But as long as we live, we need someone who will love us more than they love anyone else. We need a best friend.
God intends that role to be filled by husbands and wives, and that a very special bond exists between them. That bond insures each of them that they are the most important person alive in the others' eyes. There is nothing else that can fill that need the way marriage can. The world can be very cold and cruel. Each day we go out fresh and every night we come home feeling like we have taken a beating. Disasters happen and great tragedy strikes without notice. Yet, if we know that very special person will be waiting with a hug and a kiss, we can deal with anything the world throws at us.
The rich and famous bask in their fame and acknowledgments. They spend millions of dollars to build mansions to live in and fill them with servants and "friends." They live lavish lifestyles all over the world. They are envied by many. But if you can come home to the loving arms of a wonderful husband or wife and the shouts and hugs of small children you have something that is far better that anything the great and beautiful people have. You have a home.
There is a book called, "Acres of Diamonds" by Russell H. Conwell. It is the story of a man who leaves home at a very young age to seek his fortune by searching for diamonds. His search carries him all over the world and through many adventures, but in the end he returns home, old, broke and looking back on a life of frustration and unhappiness. He decides to plant a garden in his backyard. What does he find when he starts digging up the soil? You know what he found. Acres of diamonds right there in his own back yard. How many have left home and hearth to search the world over for happiness, only to return home and find that the real riches were those left behind.
Within every heart lives the desire to be needed and accepted. What's more, there is a need to be loved and admired. The best kept secret in the world is that it takes only one person to fulfill this need. God understands this need; He put it there. He also made us male and female for the very purpose of fulfilling that need.
We have the need to express ourselves and we need an environment that allows us to be open without feeling the threat of rejection or ridicule. Things build up inside us and we need an outlet. We need someone to talk to. Must that someone be a spouse? Not really. Many people have good friends who can fulfill that need, but the problem with friends is that they are never permanent.
I think back through the years about the best friends I've had. They were all good friends but none of them are here today. In grade school there was a friend named Albert. We were inseparable until my family moved to another town. In High School there was a friend named Bubba. He was the best man at my wedding but we now live a thousand miles apart. In the Navy I had a friend named Buddy, but we haven't seen each other in over forty years. A few years back there was a man named Tommy but I lost him to cancer. Good friends are wonderful but in today's society they can be very temporary.
I forgot to mention one other "best friend." We met in college and became best friends. We shared our troubles and fears. We shared our dreams and aspirations. We shared our hopes for the future. We became best friends in every sense of the word. Six months later I married her and right now as I type this she is sleeping in the next room. Yes, our need for companionship is daily and God knows that we need a person who will be there every day. Only a spouse can fully and completely fill the role of "best friend."
It is true that each of us needs someone to love us, but it is equally true that each of us needs someone whom we can love. The ability to love is the greatest gift God has blessed us with. To be whole persons, we need to be able to have a deep and unfaltering love for another human being. There are only two legitimate outlets for this level of love. One is for our children, the other is for our spouse. We do not have this kind of love for our parents. Children do not love parents in the same way that parents love children. If they did, they would never leave home. We do not have this level of love for friends. No, this level of love can only exist between spouses and by parents toward their children. It can only exist in the family context.
3. We need something to live for that is greater than ourselves.
We have been born into this world. As a result we have opportunities and also obligations. Too many of us go through it and never really find our place in the grand scheme of things. I have known many people who have made modest accomplishments and some that have found limited happiness by various means. But I have met very few who are thoroughly and completely satisfied with who they are, and perfectly content with the lives they are leading. The rare few who have reached this level of self-satisfaction have found something that the rest haven't. They have found something to live for that is greater than themselves.
I have never known a truly happy, and totally fulfilled, man or woman who didn't find that happiness and fulfillment in the context of family. The reason is simple. Outside of family there is nothing more important than self. But within the family there is every reason to place self second to the needs of the family. And doing this brings about a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that cannot be matched in any other environment.
In addition, if a person truly believes that there is life after death and that life is dependent on the life lived in this world, their entire life will be directed toward making heaven their eternal home. It has been said that a man's birth is merely an event, while the path he walks becomes his life. What we believe with regard to God will determine the path we walk; the path we walk will determine the life we live and the life we live will determine how we spent eternity.
* * * * * * * * *
Judy was 5 years old when her mother began keeping Ray during the day. They spent their childhood as playmates. In their teens they went to high school dances and football games as boyfriend and girlfriend. They married while Ray was serving in the United States Navy during World War II. They were a part of the "Greatest Generation." When Ray came home they raised their children, worshiped their God, and grew old together.
Judy was 79 years old that morning, as she stood looking out the window at Ray mowing the grass with a small tractor. She saw the incline on which he was mowing and she saw the tractor as it rolled over, pinning Ray under it. She could hear the motor running and see the blade turning as she rushed down the steep incline. She yelled for help but there was no one there to hear.
Days later, after Ray recovered, a friend said to me, "I am surprised that Judy was able to lift that tractor off Ray without any help." My reply; "I would only have been surprised if she hadn't." You see, Ray and Judy were lovers. Their lives had been molded together in a bond that could never be broken. Many years before God had made them one, and forsaking all others, they chose to cling to each other; for better and for worse. They know the meaning of the words, "Till death do us part." and, nothing short of death itself will ever separate Ray and Judy.
* * * * * * * * *
If you are a husband or a wife, a daddy or a mommy, you have the opportunity to reach a level of satisfaction and fulfillment that cannot be matched in any other way. It is the result of loving and being loved, without condition or requirement, for as "long as you both shall live." Every person born into this world wants this level of fulfillment and happiness. God understands this because He also wanted it for himself.
That's why He created you and me.
