In The Year Of Our Lord......2006
Another year soon comes to its end as we have been taught to measure time. And yet, while I have experienced many instances of God's Word made manifest in my own life this year, I find my greatest comfort is knowing the Lord is one year closer to returning to receive unto Himself those who look forward to His return.
So many things have happened this year. Some seemingly unnoticeable, and a few other things quite obvious. The Word of the Lord becomes more and more alive to me as I ponder the year's past events in my own life. I noticed, hopefully in answer to prayer before beginning this Christmas letter, how the Lord has given me opportunity to forgive and be forgiven with regard to past experiences with others over the course of my life up til now.
After the first of this year, I received a Christmas card with a short poem in it from my fifth grade teacher. She said that she was doing some intensive cleaning and came across a poem which she had saved, written by me when I was a student in her class. I don't remember writing it, but I did remember quite vividly my behavior while I was in her class. I really liked this teacher, however; I noticed what seemed to me to be a weakness in her ability to control my bad behavior, and I exploited it. A good ol' fashion spanking would have saved her a whole lot of grief, but neither the teachers nor my parents seemed to want to take that particular course of action. Instead, I was taken to child psychologists who wanted to try to figure out my 'problem'.
The Lord had given me an opportunity to tell my fifth grade teacher that I was sorry for the way I acted in her class and towards her. I started a reply to her around the end of January, but by the time March had come, I still hadn't finished the letter. One day, I just picked up the phone and called her. It was really wonderful to get to be able to talk to her and tell her I was sorry for treating her the way I had.
I believe the Holy Spirit really got a hold of me in the summer after a young woman, who I only knew as a customer where I work, got out of bed one morning and fell over dead from a heart attack. She was only thirty-eight years old. I began to realize ever so clearly why God had placed me where I am. I don't know whether or not this young woman knew Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Saviour, but I do know I had ample opportunity to share the Love of God with her by telling her about Jesus. I decided to write out my testimony of God's Grace given me by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and share it with those who come in as customers where I work in the form of a brochure.
In August, SJ and I traveled to my hometown to visit relatives. I had decided to take along a bottle collection which, prior to our leaving, I had arranged with a close friend to sell. He has bought and sold antique bottles for many years, and he has been repeatedly blessed in this particular area. This collection was one I really would have wanted to keep, but I also wanted to be able to pay for all of the expenses which would be necessary to pay for the printing of the brochure. Before we left, the Lord spoke to me and said I didn't need to take them because He would provide the means to take care of the expenses associated with the printing. I took them along anyway.
My friend is an ordained minister and currently pastors a Baptist church forty miles from my hometown. One of the things I wanted to do was join him during the regularly scheduled bible study at his church. I didn't know it at the time, but one of the people which regularly attended the study co-owned a print shop in the community. After finishing the write-up for the brochure, I called my friend to see if he had started the process of getting the bottle collection ready to sell. In the course of our conversation, I mentioned the reason why I wanted the bottles sold, and he asked me to send him a copy to read. It was at this time he told me about the fellow at the church the night I attended who is a printer. I thought this was where the Lord was going to allow the printing of the brochure.
By the middle of September, I had saved sixty dollars for the printing costs. One Sunday, SJ's mother called to ask me if I would consider taking less for a planter which I had made which was in her booth at an antique mall. I didn't even think about my answer before I said, "No." I wondered later if I had been to quick to be so definite about my asking price. I finally decided later that if the promises of God to provide are without compromise then neither should I compromise my expectations to receive what I know was a fair price. One day, I was watching a Christian program which I periodically send money to. And as they showed the homeless and impoverished children for which they were collecting money, I said to the Lord, "Lord, why do you allow all of these children to be born when they have to live in such squalid conditions?" And the Lord said, "Because I love them." Now before all you unbelievers jump on the bandwagon to condemn those who believe in God, I'd suggest you brush up on your knowledge with regard to what God set into motion when He created Adam. Pay particular attention to that part in the first few chapters where the Word of God says that He gave dominion over all the earth to Adam and his seed. Guess who Adam's seed is. Guess who Adam relinquished his dominion to at the infamous apple tree. God created reproduction, He did not create chaos. Chaos is man's great gift to the world because on the whole, man steadfastly refuses to take responsibility for his actions. God loves all His children regardless of their age (did you catch that?), but because He also gave dominion of the earth to His creation, man, it is man's place to take care of that which has been procreated. Hence Cain's oft repeated reply to God when asked where his brother was, "Am I my brother's keeper?" In a word, yes.
Back to the brochure. After seeing the children, and hearing the Word of the Lord, I told the Lord that I'd like to send the money which I had put back for the brochure to this ministry for these children, but then what about the money I would need for the printing costs. The Lord said, "Sow the money." So I sent the money off and never gave it another thought. Around the first of October, SJ told me someone had come in and bought the planter and paid the asking price. Praise the Lord! Also, I began to accumulate additional money through work on the side. By the end of October, I was getting anxious to begin the work to print the brochure. I called my friend. He hadn't done anything regarding the copy I had sent him.
I began to wonder what was holding back the work from going forward. By the second week of November I still hadn't heard from my friend. I began to think about my former employer which I had left on unpleasant terms, who, by the way, is also a printer. I also had enough saved to have all the lay-out work done. One day, about a week before Thanksgiving day, my former employer came in as a customer where I work. I mentioned to him that I might need some printing done. He seemed to welcome the opportunity. I spoke about the incident to a christian sister in church one evening including some of the past history with my former employer. I told her that I couldn't help but wonder if this wasn't God's way of saying to me that the best way to forgive would be by using the services of my former employer to get the brochure printed. She didn't say anything, but simply smiled.
I went ahead and took my write-up over to the print shop which has since relocated to another community. I told them they should read the material before deciding whether or not to do the work. I didn't leave out the part about what led up to where I am at now in my christian walk with the Lord. The next week, they brought me a proof. After three proofs, I've given the go ahead to have the brochure printed. Total cost for the project - $28.00. Ya think maybe God's Hand is in this?!! I asked them why they were doing it so cheaply. They said it was because they've always tried to do this type of Christian work at cost. The wife, of the husband and wife team, said it was a little difficult to read because I explain in the brochure about the intense hatred I once felt towards them (although I do not mention them by name, nor do I ever intend to). I replied by quoting the first part of Romans 8:28, whereupon she responded by adding the next sentence, "to them that love God,". Truly, God is merciful, not to mention, faithful. My hope is that with regard to these two incidents in my life, God's work of forgiveness towards me, by the work which Jesus did for me at the cross, will enable me to desire to have a forgiving nature towards others. Jesus, I love you; how can I ever thank you enough for saving my life?
Merry Christmas.
May the presence of the Lord be the best gift you receive this year.
Mike Baruth |
