Simple Truth

It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a suitable helper for him. Genesis 2:19

It is not often that I get the chance to sit with my in-laws by myself. In catching up and going over the events of the summer I realized that life is so short. We spend our entire life building our careers, our houses, our families, our possessions. Our kids grow up, make a life of their own and move away. This weekend I have the honor of being here for a dear friend of mine whose daughter is getting married. I watched her daughter grow up and now will make a life of her own. We just attended the ceremony for my father in laws retirement last month. As all of these life changes occur; I hear in the voice of my aged mentors say, "as life changes, we realize as soon as you stop working you are quickly replaced and soon forgotten, no one is irreplaceable. Friends come and go through seasons of life. Even your kids move on with their lives. When all is said and done the priceless treasure is the one that walks through life with you day to day."

I think back on my grandparents' legacy of more than 70!years together. I see my in-laws legacy of 58 years together and you start to see a simple truth. While longevity of this magnitude with the same person may not yield a perfect example, there is no such thing. What stands out is two people committed to choosing to work on a relationship through grace and forgiveness so that when everyone else is gone, two remain. What a wonderful picture of God 's provision for man, someone to grow old with, someone to share life with. How thankful I am that God gave me Paul. Not everyone can say they are blessed. Some of my dear friends and family members have been separated from their soul mates by death. I pray for them to experience that companionship once again. I pray for my married friends that they will continue to invest time and effort in cultivating their relationships with their spouses so that when they are in their 80's they will say "my biggest treasure is my spouse".