Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Shade Tree Wisdom 12/27/11


          It’s cool this morning and the walking was pleasant in these final days of the year 2011.

          In one of the parishes I served one of my predecessors had taken this week to write a history of that year.  It made for interesting reading and was quite helpful when it came time to write the story of that Church for their centennial celebration.

          Such a look back can be helpful and healthy for a person.

          One Church General Confession has these lines:
               We have offended against Thy holy laws,
               We have left undone the things we ought to have done,
               We have done those things which we ought not to have done.
               And there is no health in us.”
Strong stuff there.

          Ah, January, and the year lay before us.  Our resolutions were firmly made and stated out loud, “This year we would. . .” But many of them were already memories by the middle of the month.  Better this time around, right?

          Month followed month.  We did our daily living, worked, rested, spent leisure time, planned, succeeded, failed now and then, and grew as a Christian person.  And for the most part we were content with our lot, and happy to live the lives we were living.

          We got along fairly well and others looked at us, some cherished us, others maybe abided us, still others maybe quarreled or argued.  But that is all part of life, isn’t it?

          So here we stand near the end of the year, looking back maybe with wonder that we did so much and advanced so far, maybe a bit down because there were things we left undone, again.  All in all, a satisfying year was it not?

          For the things “we ought not to have done,
“There is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared”.
Rest on that promise, and the year is well spent. Give God the glory.

GPD 12/27/11

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