After retiring from the pastorate in 2012, Linda and I had six years to prepare for the time in which she would become a resident in the Memory Care Unit at Legacy Village in Cleveland, Tennessee. We spent a significant amount of that time developing a more intimate relationship with Christ, defining the core values of our lives, and prayerfully interceding for our children, grandchildren and descendants who were yet to be born.
Now, when I consider that Linda has spent the last five Christmases at Legacy Village, I am faced with two choices: I can believe the prayers that she and I lifted up to God are being answered, or I can believe that He has forgotten the two of us. I choose the former. Those prayers grew out of a prior personal encounter that I had with God. Let’s back up to June 1963: Linda and I were to be married in Richmond, Kentucky, in two short months, and with 1679 miles separating me from seeing her beautiful face and smelling her sweet perfume, I needed reassurance that I was following the will of God and not just my own desire. Therefore, I climbed up a mountain outside Salt Lake City, Utah, and shared my concerns with God. I will forever remember the clear directions I received as I read Psalm 128:
“Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.
The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel” (vss.1-6 KJV).
Now, I usually read from a more recent translation; however, on that long-ago day, God used the beauty of old English to establish the framework for my life, marriage and family.
The picture accompanying today’s blog depicts an interesting combination of the fulfillment of God’s promises, the reality of genetic inheritance, and a very human desire to have hair luxuriantly cover at least a portion of my head. Underneath my cap, my shortly-cropped hair surrounds an ever-increasing bald spot that is seeking relief from weather conditions that recently dropped to four degrees. My only consolation is that when summer arrives my glistening solar panel will allow me to increase my intake of vitamin D, and thus facilitate normal immune system functioning in my aging body. Seriously, I am holding my youngest great-grandchild Avery Nicole Smith, who was born on December 21, 2022. She, along with Kona Hawke Foskey and Emory Elizabeth Smith, serves as living proof that God faithfully fulfills His promises and wonderfully answers prayer. All those years ago, on a mountain outside Salt Lake City, I dared to believe that I would see my children’s children; however, God has exceeded His promise and allowed me to see my grandchildren’s children. Of equal importance, I cannot express the joy that I feel when I hold in my arms descendants that Linda and I prayed for long before they were born. And, the blessings will not stop in 2023. In a few short days, our fourth great-grandchild will be born. Trust me, I will keep you posted!
In my past blogs, I have invited you to observe both pain and joy, as the love of my life slowly succumbs to the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s and draws closer to her eternal destiny. As her health continues to decline, I am determined to focus on the marvelous blessings that are unfolding around us, as well as the glorious reward that personally awaits Linda and all believers in Christ. Therefore, being very aware of her passion for understanding end time events, I am certain that she would be disappointed if I shared only the personal promises that we have seen fulfilled during our marriage and failed to point out the yet to be fulfilled promise which is tucked away in Psalm 128:6. Ultimately, peace shall be upon Israel; however, before that time comes, unprecedented tribulation will cover the earth. Those who have received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior will escape those horrible times. Thus, this pertinent warning speaks directly to our generation:
The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah’s. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away (Matthew 24: 37-39 MSG).
Ron Harvard Ministries 