THE SIMPLE LIFE

REFLECTION

I just got off the phone with my mom and can I just say how much my parents continue to astound me with their actions? Since my cousin took one of the cars back to Western, my aunt & uncle have one car to share with their other teenaged daughter. So my parents are now lending them their car every Mon. – Wed. Turns out that a lot of times, my dad drops my mom off at work in the morning and since my dad gets off earlier, he goes to buy groceries & prepares dinner while my mom takes the bus back home. Why? Cuz it saves money (gas is expensive) & it’s much easier for her to take the bus anyways instead of my dad making the trip to pick her up again.

How many of us would rather pay the extra money than to take the bus? And it’s not like they can’t afford it, I mean they’re supporting my education in the states; that not something everybody has the option to do. But my parents have always tried to save in areas that could be saved. It makes me look at my own life and where/how I spend my money. I must confess that I squander it away on self-indulgence.

Their marriage is one that I admire so much. There is so much giving from both parties and they always choose to look past each other’s weaknesses and just focus on each other’s strengths. And they work so well together as a team. If my dad cooks, my mom cleans. If my dad does the floors and dusting, my mom does the laundry & scrubbing. Every morning, they will wake up and make the bed together and every night they will read & pray together.

Not that they never had problems, but I have to say that seeing the changes in their marriage as a Christian couple was one of the most influential witnessing to me because I experienced it day in & day out. There was so much more peace in their relationship, a reason why they were together other than “well I married you and promised to spend the rest of my life with you”. It’s weird to think that there was a time when I was little that they were seriously contemplating divorce. If you’re interested, you should ask them to share their testimony some time. I’m sure they’d be more than happy to speak of some of their experiences. Their 26th wedding anniversary is coming up next week. It’ll be the first time that I won’t be there to celebrate with them since I was old enough to know what it means to include me.

Time and time again I look at my life and I wonder why it is that I am so blessed. I am so thankful for each day and I can’t help but wonder what am I being prepared for? “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more with be asked” ~Luke 12:48

My parents have so much, and yet they give without thinking twice. Why can’t I do the same? Learning to be unselfish sure is hard. I really need to remember: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart…” ~Job 1:21 The things that I have here are only temporary, the possessions, the respect, the time. I can’t take any of these things with me so why do I place such a high value on them?

I was reminded over the weekend as to why I follow Christ. It’s shouldn’t be because I’ve been given all these things – these gifts, these talents, the material wealth. It shouldn’t be because of opportunities presented to me just short of being miraculous, like getting into optometry. It even shouldn’t be because I have an eternal place in heaven.

It’s because I can gain intimacy with God through Jesus that I follow Him. And I think I’ve forgotten that. I’ve forgotten that the joy of christian relationship is not that He does something for me but that He IS something to me. I’ve forgotten that Jesus gave me more than all these blessings; He gave me Himself.

God, I want to know the joy, fulfillment and satisfaction of being with you.