As a counselor and pastor, I have never had someone tell me they would like for their life to become more complicated and stressful; however, I have had countless persons, many with tears in their eyes, express a desire for a simpler, less complex existence. In today’s blog, we will see this is not a new phenomenon, and I will share how God has used Alzheimer’s to bring Linda and me to a better understanding of how to focus on the truly important issues of life.
Universal Hunger
In 1977, Waylon Jennings, a country singer, using egregious sentence construction and punctuation, suggested relocating to a small Texas town might be the answer to stress and complexity:
This successful life we’re livin
Got us feuding like the Hatfields and McCoy’s
Between Hank Williams’ pain song and
Newbury’s train songs and “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain”
Out in Luckenbach, Texas there ain’t nobody feelin’ no pain
So baby, let’s sell your diamond rings
And buy some boots and faded jeans and go away
This coat and tie is choking me
In your high society, you cry all night
We’ve been so busy keepin’ up with the Jones
A four car garage and we’re still building on
Maybe it’s time we got back to the basics of love
Over 300 years earlier, in 1670, Blaise Pascal, an aristocratic scholar acquainted with the fleeting pleasures of earthly possessions, identified the same hunger and outlined a more acceptable path forward:
“What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words, by God himself.”
Over two millennia ago, John gave insight into his special relationship with our Savior:
We have come into an intimate experience with God’s love, and we trust in the love he has for us.
God is love! Those who are living in love are living in God, and God lives through them. By living in God love has been brought to its full expression in us so that we may fearlessly face the day of judgment because all that Jesus now is so are we in this world. Love never brings fear, for fear is always related to punishment. But love’s perfection drives the fear of punishment far from our hearts. Whoever walks constantly afraid of punishment has not reached love’s perfection (1John 4:16-18 TPT).
My Personal Testimony
Excerpts from my journal illustrate the difficulties Linda and I have faced during the past week:
- After Linda lost a front crown, her dentist of over forty years, Dr. Beard, arranged to work her into his schedule. Unable to follow instructions, getting her into the chair was a challenge. Not knowing where she was, fearful to lie back and let unknown people look into her mouth, her face was etched with fear. While I held her hand and silently prayed for the best, she relaxed and the crown was put back into place. Now, on a round of antibiotics, we should know in the next ten days if the root was cracked.
- When Linda saw me, she did not flash her trademark smile. After walking silently to her room, she gently collapsed into the recliner and alternately rubbed her hands together, placed them on her chest and trembled, vigorously rubbed her legs, fiddled with a little doll blanket and, rubbed the sides of her head. During this time, she occasionally softly moaned, talked to “Imaginary Persons,” and, when speech failed her, resorted to counting. After nearly twenty minutes, she awakened, smiled and said, “Let’s go!” With no memory of what had just happened, she enjoyed a short walk and then joined her friends playing dominoes. As I was walking out, she sweetly smiled and waved goodbye.
There is a huge difference in the way we have responded to the obvious stress. With complete confidence that she is loved and her needs will be met, the cares of life which once distracted her are no longer an issue. Conversely, I tend to take responsibility for her needs, my needs, and the needs of everyone else. From Heaven’s perspective, the solution is quite simple: Quit making excuses based on temperament, upbringing, and work ethic. God is calling me to submit to a biblical command I have resisted my entire adult life: Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you (1 Peter 5:7 NLT).
Ron Harvard Ministries 