Matthew 10:42
"And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."
Last night my family and I attended the Western Washington Fair in Puyallup. What a great time we had, but boy, it can be an expensive trip.
By all standards of reference, attendance was down in all areas near as I can tell from reports. But hey, let's face it; the economy isn't the greatest right now. People are in dire straits. Ends are hard to meet or are not meeting at all. At any rate, discretionary income is at its lowest level in years, and so everyone is cutting back. The one good thing about that is this - it's less crowded, and the lines for everything are shorter.
As we walked around I noticed quickly that there were fewer vendors. Trade show type exhibits were smaller, and some of the people that we have seen there for years are just simply not there. As our populace relies more and more on our government to bail them out, or to give them some sort of light at the end of the tunnel, the reality is that things are getting worse for the majority of Americans.
As I pondered this thought, I really did begin to pray for our country and the people here. Our leadership in this nation lacks so much in so many areas. Foreign policy, if we have one, is an utter failure. Domestic policies have us on the fast-track to total socialism. Our Congress continually passes legislation that 65-70% of Americans oppose. The elite are ruling what is quickly becoming a subjugated middle-class who are seen as only servants to those in power. All I could think was, "Come Lord Jesus!"
Throughout my childhood, I knew inside my parents loved me. I do not remember my Dad telling me that in words until I was 24 years old and married, but I know the love was there. Growing up on a farm, life was hard, but while we may have had a lot of hand-me-downs, and lacked the latest styles in tennis shoes or didn't have the biggest birthday parties, I had enough. Thinking back, I see how hard we did have it, and also how hard mom & Dad had to work to provide for us 5 children. While I may not have had the Converse All-Star hi-tops that everyone else had and that I always wanted, what I was given was an appreciation for what we did have, and one thing that can never be taken away: Memories.
Walking through the animal barns last night holding hands with my kids, and an arm around my wife I was suddenly 10 years old again myself. In my mind I was the little one holding my Dad's hand, and looking up into his eyes. I remembered the hard life on the farm, and was so appreciative of the lessons that it taught me. I was once again skipping through the barns of the Butler County Fair back in western PA. I was reminded of the importance of the agrarian lifestyle, and how the hard work of so few feed this nation, and for a large part the world.
I remembered admiring not just the farm animals, but the men that owned and worked their farms and how proud I was that some of the best known farmers in the area knew my name and who my Dad was. Names like Knauff, Drueschel, Beahm, Knox and Scheibel may mean little or nothing to you, but they were legendary in the western PA farming community - and they knew my Dad! Wow! I remember the excitement knowing that I was going to get paid 50 cents a day for my work plowing the fields, putting in hay or working in the grain silos. Money I saved to put together $15.00 to become the first Spithaler in history to take a ride in an airplane; rides they sold at the annual Farm Show event for the $15.00 I worked all summer to save. I remembered the satisfaction I felt knowing the dirt that was rubbing off onto the towel even after my shower, was because I had put in a hard day's work.
Perhaps more than anything, I remembered the joy I felt being at the Fair with my family. I knew that this break from the labors of farm life was a well earned reward, and that my Mom and Dad had earned it as well. Days at the Fair or Farm Show were memories that could not be taken away - fond memories of my youth, family life, and the relationship I had with my Mom and Dad.
Then it happened. I was then struck by God with a firm reminder that my children are a gift from Him, and I wondered to myself: Am I making the same memories for my kids today that my parents made for me 35 years ago? Tears welled up, and all I could do was mutter a few prayers under my breath, knowing that the Lord would here, and hoping that my wife would not (grown men should not be caught crying at the fair after all). Well, she caught me anyway- but I did not know how to fully explain how i felt. At least in such a way that I would not totally break down in tears for everyone to see.
The family is God's design, and the most foundational element of society that He has created. We owe it to Him, and to our spouses and children to do all we can to make sure that family is loved and nurtured, supported, and cared for, and given our best attention and strongest most sincere love. Christ died for all of us as sinners so that we might be reconciled to God, and our sins fully forgiven. But He lived a perfect life to be an example of the love that we are to have for His children, and our families that He has gifted us with.
I cannot imagine being blessed with a more wonderful family. God is perfect, yet I am not, and so I pray today that the Lord bless me personally, and all of us corporately, that our Father gives us Wisdom, peace, kindness, caring, love and peace as we do our best in our failed, weak human bodies to live up to the example that Jesus gave us. Without fail, we must be certain to give God the thanks and glory for all that He has done to mold and shape these leaky vessels thus far.
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