By: Lynette Bloedow
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17 (ESV)
“See the morning sunbeam lighting up the wood,
Silently professing,’God is ever good, God is ever good.”
I come from a family of 15. My Dad was an independent pastor, but his main job was working in the oilfields. Dad expected us to memorize Scripture while he was at work to disciple and train us, and probably to keep my Mom’s sanity. We had to recite them at our nightly family worship. He took the injunction to “train up a child” seriously.
My siblings and I all attended the elementary school in the village established by the Presbyterian Church. We began each day with a devotional time where the Scripture was read and hymns were sung from the hymnary (their hymnbook).
Every teacher’s responsibility was to continue our religious education in the classroom by insisting that we copy those hymns in a special copy book, which we embellished with art and craft materials. We often practiced the new hymns and large tracts of Scripture in class. They also believed in “training up a child.”
The words of one of those hymns come to mind each morning as I sit on my bedside in my new home… “See the morning sunbeam lighting up the wood; Silently professing ‘God is ever good, God is ever good.”
The theme of God’s goodness is repeated frequently in our new home. We experience God’s goodness to us as ‘Jehovah Jireh’ – the God who provides. We had been thinking of mitigating the challenges of old age, and He provided the right home, at the right time, with an awesome view outside my bedroom window. Observing the morning sunlight brings me great joy. On another balcony, we experience gorgeous sunsets for 180 degrees of the horizon.
In early September, I suffered a TIA (transient ischemic attack). God had gone before us and prepared everything we needed for me to receive rapid treatment to mitigate the effects of the TIA.
- Our new home is 3 minutes away from the hospital, compared to 15 minutes from our old home. The paramedics arrived promptly.
- Our large living room allowed them enough space for the gurney compared to our old home, which had a stairwell that was more difficult to manoeuvre than elevators
- I was seen promptly in the emergency department.
- To keep my brain and tongue engaged, I was able to recite to my hubby all of the Psalms my Dad required us to learn in childhood. “Training up a child” bore fruit.
We are convinced that God went before us and prepared the way.
Psalm 139: says,
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways…
You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. (ESV)
God is always good. Train up your child. They will appreciate it in old age.
