Bishop Joseph asked me to put on a post. I have never done a post, but he asked and even though we live in Florida and are twice his age, I could not turn my Bishop down. He asked if I could give words of wisdom for this coming year.
I have no wisdom. The only wisdom that I get once in a great while, which Olive will verify, comes from the Lord. But, seeing Olive and I are in our 80's now, can advise you of a few things we learned in life that maybe will help others - then again maybe not. In fact, they may be things you have heard before.
Trust in the Lord. No matter if it is good happenings or bad happenings trust, trust, trust. How many times in my life, I should have stopped, said a prayer and asked the Lord what HE wanted, but instead thought I knew how to handle the situation and was wrong. Also, how many times have I done things the hard way and if I just taken the time to pray, the Lord had a different, much easier way.
Take time to listen to the Lord. Another thing, I didn't always do when I should have. I prayed, but didn't stop to listen to the Lord. No, I don't get loud voices from heaven. The room does not shake. In fact, the Lord is just the opposite. The Lord has spoken to me quietly. But, we must take the time to listen.
When making big decisions, consult your spouse, if you have one. Our ways teach that husband is the head of the house, which is true. But, sometimes Olive knows or has a different view that I do. Sometimes it is reverse. If she is making a big decision and in talking together I have another view. Also it helps that we both pray before making a big decision. If after prayer, we feel the Lord told us both the same thing, we are doing the right thing. In all the years we have been married, I can honestly said, when we both felt the Lord told us both the same thing, it was the right answer.
You can't change what you did last week, last year, five years ago , ten years ago, etc. Well, maybe on a rare occasion you can, but in most you can't. If you have gone to the Lord in prayer and asked for His forgiveness, then you too should forgive yourself. We are not greater than the Lord. He is greater than us. If we have wronged someone, go, apologize. But to worry, regret, does not change things and does not help you.
Also you can not live in the past. We all have memories of the past - our parents who have passed, good times we had, people we knew, the happy times, the sad times, but you can't bring any of that back again. Memories are nice to remember at times, but God wants us to live today and the future, not in the past.
Also you can't always plan ahead as God has other plans for you. I smile at people who tell me what they want to accomplish in the next 5 or 10 years. When they reach that 5 or 10 years, they may be doing something or somethings they never thought they would be doing. Or living some place they thought they would never being living. When Olive and I married, I had the idea I was going to work on a farm from that until the day I died. I have famed most of my life, but I also have dug ditches, worked in factories, torn buildings down, help build new ones up, cleaned sewers, done roofing and siding on houses, trained horses and I don't know what else.
NOTE: I called Marilyn to add something and she put it in the wrong place. I said let it go, people will figure it out. Don't go to a lot of trouble to change it. So keep reading and you will figure it out. Albert
Which leads to when dark things happen, something good shows in the end. In our darkest hours, the Lord is with us. Sometimes, it is His will that we, or our family or our friends go through a hard time. The Lord has a reason for us to go through that so He can show us our brightest time. We may not see this or understand this, but it will happen.
One time David had three deer he had to slaughter and pack. Olive came from the house and mentioned it. Elmer and Anna were gone some place. The boys were just learning. So I went out to see what I could do. David said, when I came out, that he didn't have time to teach me. I told him, I knew what I was doing and could maybe teach him a few things. When we got done, David and I were in the house and he said he didn't know I could do that. I told him, it never came up.
Olive and I never thought we would be retired, owing this cottage in Florida. If you told me that when we got married, we would have told you your were crazy. But here we are. You don't know what God holds in the future for you, so don't plan too far ahead. Oh, it is nice to have goals, but don't set your goals to firm.
Don't worry. It does not do you any good and God is the one who takes care of all situations. You can't change the past and you don't know the future. Trust in the Lord.
You hear the old saying: "Stop and smell the roses along the way"? We should do that in life. Yes, you must work in your job. If you are a farmer, it is day and night especially during planting and harvest. But, still we should take time and enjoy our lives, too. I don't mean you have to take long trips. Just stopping and watching the sunrise or sunset. Taking a walk though through the fields you planted. Just sitting on the porch talking about the day with your spouse. Taking your children fishing. Going to their activities at school. Do smell the roses in your yard. Live is short and the Lord wants you to work, but He also wants you to relax and enjoy what He has put before you.
You can't take it with you when you go. That is what made Olive and I buy our house in Pinecraft. We had worked all our lives, helped our church, our children, and others. After our children were on their own, we saved for when we retired. Now, we are retired. We could have stayed living at David and Jean's and we appreciate their having us. But, what was work for, if not to enjoy some of it. It is our time of rest and to enjoy our final years. There are people, Old Order Mennonite, Englishers, and Amish, too, who work hard all their lives to leave it to their children. Now, if one of our children needed our help, we would not turn them down. But, all our children have farms of their own. None of them is in a position that they need our financial help, which we Praise the Lord for, not because we don't want to give them our money, but they are all hard workers and the Lord has given to them. We know, that if we needed financial help, they would help us. But to save all your money to give away and not enjoy some of this life, is not right, either.
Death is not an end, but a new beginning. I think I am repeating Elmer, but it is true. It is hard on us when someone passes that is family, friend or relative. But the leaving of this earth is a new beginning with the Lord. We hope that when someone dies, he or she, will be going to heaven and living with the Lord. All their pain, problems, suffering is gone. It is ours too. We should miss our friends, but also feel joy that they are with the Lord.
We should not fear death. Our bodies may be going in the ground, but if we have accepted the Lord and lived His way, we will be going to live with Him. We are all sinners. Jesus died for us on the cross. We should have no fear of death.
Never, say never. Fanny and Amos came over after my post and advised me to add this. Whether you think you will never move again, have children again, do something you don't want to do, and more - never say never. You have know idea what the Lord has in your future for you. When they both lost their spouses, they both said they would never marry again. They would raise their children on their own. Little did they know that the Lord had someone special for each other. Also, Amos thought when he bought his first farm, he would never move. When his wife passed, he moved. So you never know what God has in plan for you, your life, your family and more.
Before I started this post, Olive and I sort of went over some of things in our lives. I have done some stupid things in our life, some down right dumb things in our lives - times I should have listened to the Lord - times I should have listened to Olive. We both have done things, we wish we could change, but can't. In our conversation, we also have seen where great things have been done in our lives. We started out in the poverty level of life, but were too dumb to know it, at the time. Yet, today we consider ourselves wealthy. No, we are not worth millions, no where near it. We have a great family. Oh, sometimes we disagree with our children or grandchildren, but they know we love them and they love us. We've been through so many hard times in our life, but it all worked out in the end, even though we didn't think so at the time.
So what can I tell you for New Year's? Use 2017 as a new start. Forget the past. Look forward to the future. Ask God to forgive all your sins. If you must, ask whoever you have hurt to forgive you. You are not perfect. Forgive yourself for what you have done. That is sometimes the hardest thing. God can forgive you. He died on the cross for you. But yet, we can't forgive ourselves. Start this year with a clean slate.
Also realize that you will make mistakes. You will do things you shouldn't have done. Will realize you didn't do things that you should have done. That is being human. We will learn so much in the coming year. We will be doing so much during the coming year. It is a new opportunity that God has given us. Enjoy it in the coming year.
Trust the Lord and enjoy life, you are only going to live one life on this earth..
HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2017
Be with God,
Albert and Olive
Post on tomorrow too.
There will be a New Year's Day post.
Marilyn
