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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
"When Life Is Like A Dream"
June 2, 2010
It was like something out of a movie. I woke up in the Shoreham Hotel in
Washington DC. I got out of the king size four poster bed in our suite and
went to the window to catch a view of the city outside. With the first light
of day coming into the room, I looked back at where I had come from and
saw the woman of my dreams lying there.
It's a scene common to fans of Tom Cruise or Pierce Brosnan. For me it
marked the first realization that my life had changed for ever. I'll never
forget my thoughts as I looked at her through the sunlit room that morning.
"This is my life now. It will never be the same as it was before." My
emotions flip flopped between a fear that I wouldn't be able to live up to the
promises I made and a joy that swelled my being to the depths of my soul.
That was twenty eight years ago just two days after Lori and I were
married.
In the ensuing years we have had many joyful moments as we started a
family, began our careers and settled into life in a community we loved. We
have also had our moments where the frustrations and difficulties of life
have threatened to tear apart the fabric of the life we built together. I like to
tell people that it is only the grace of God that allows two people to navigate
the pitfalls and troubles that assail every couple.
I was reflecting on the way our relationship has changed and grown over
the years and I couldn't help but think of how my relationship with God has
done the same thing. It is not surprising. That's how relationships work,
even when you are talking about the Almighty. In April of 1974 I was
baptized and my life changed forever.
I wish I could tell you that the next 36 years were all hugs and kisses. I'd
be lying though. In those years I have been blessed more than I deserve.
I have also had my dark nights of despair. Sometimes these came because I
chose to follow God down the narrow road. At other times they came when
I went my own way and learned a lesson the hard way.
God and I have not always agreed on things. He has let me have my say
and let me go off on my own but I often paid the price for not heeding his
advice. God allows a lot of give and take in his relationship to us but we
usually find out that He was right and we were wrong.
The good news is that God does not hold it against us. He loves us too
much to do that. He waits patiently for us to come around and then he
extends his arms and greets us with a hug. The two words I have come to
know in my walk with God are these: Love and forgiveness. He has
modeled them time after time.
Come to think about it, I have also seen that in my marriage. May your
relationships with the special people in your life be ground in a love that
forgives. You will be blessed and God will be glorified.
God Bless! See you in Church. Cal.
June 2, 2010
It was like something out of a movie. I woke up in the Shoreham Hotel in
Washington DC. I got out of the king size four poster bed in our suite and
went to the window to catch a view of the city outside. With the first light
of day coming into the room, I looked back at where I had come from and
saw the woman of my dreams lying there.
It's a scene common to fans of Tom Cruise or Pierce Brosnan. For me it
marked the first realization that my life had changed for ever. I'll never
forget my thoughts as I looked at her through the sunlit room that morning.
"This is my life now. It will never be the same as it was before." My
emotions flip flopped between a fear that I wouldn't be able to live up to the
promises I made and a joy that swelled my being to the depths of my soul.
That was twenty eight years ago just two days after Lori and I were
married.
In the ensuing years we have had many joyful moments as we started a
family, began our careers and settled into life in a community we loved. We
have also had our moments where the frustrations and difficulties of life
have threatened to tear apart the fabric of the life we built together. I like to
tell people that it is only the grace of God that allows two people to navigate
the pitfalls and troubles that assail every couple.
I was reflecting on the way our relationship has changed and grown over
the years and I couldn't help but think of how my relationship with God has
done the same thing. It is not surprising. That's how relationships work,
even when you are talking about the Almighty. In April of 1974 I was
baptized and my life changed forever.
I wish I could tell you that the next 36 years were all hugs and kisses. I'd
be lying though. In those years I have been blessed more than I deserve.
I have also had my dark nights of despair. Sometimes these came because I
chose to follow God down the narrow road. At other times they came when
I went my own way and learned a lesson the hard way.
God and I have not always agreed on things. He has let me have my say
and let me go off on my own but I often paid the price for not heeding his
advice. God allows a lot of give and take in his relationship to us but we
usually find out that He was right and we were wrong.
The good news is that God does not hold it against us. He loves us too
much to do that. He waits patiently for us to come around and then he
extends his arms and greets us with a hug. The two words I have come to
know in my walk with God are these: Love and forgiveness. He has
modeled them time after time.
Come to think about it, I have also seen that in my marriage. May your
relationships with the special people in your life be ground in a love that
forgives. You will be blessed and God will be glorified.
God Bless! See you in Church. Cal.
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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