Not a Garden Party

But I did remenisce with my old friends. I left a little early on my daily bicycle trek, and chose a route which took me past an old friend’s house. The last institutional church where I was a member did have some fine people there, even if the organization itself is corrupt. This fellow is one of those select few who remains on friendly terms, in part because we had shared a great deal of volunteer work together. We chatted about cycling, then I moved on.

Later, while I was helping my blind buddy do some shopping, I ran into a fine elderly lady from the same church. Again, one of the few people there who didn’t betray my friendship. I had gone to the funeral when her husband died because they were both good friends of mine. Today she had her daughter with her.

I received a very flattering compliment. The lady passed me on another aisle asking me to pray for her daughter. The younger gal is seeking a husband, and I wondered how it was she was still single. I thought perhaps her intellect might be a bit intimidating to some fellows, but it turns out she had spent a significant amount of time in and out of hospitals in her prime. Now, still younger than 40, she’s tall, shapely and attractive in the fullest sense of the word. She asked her mother if I was married.

My wife is my best friend. The most important thing she offers me is support for the calling and ministry. Just about everything else can be worked out, but without hitching her wagon to my teaching and service, nothing else will matter. The obsession in our Western culture with so-called “Romantic love” is a major distraction in the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s not whether I can be romantic with my wife — ask her. But the Kingdom comes first, and with it comes the power from God to build a powerful love and commitment in His Spirit, stronger than any “romance.”

My wife cannot be replaced. Thirty years of serving together in one calling of Christ cannot be forgotten, and nothing can take its place. However, should the Lord take her home anytime soon, I could hardly carry the load without her successor. Such a transition would be exceedingly difficult, and I’m in no hurry to experience it.