Yesterday, as I stood at my bedroom window and watched the snow come down, my mind traveled back to a class that I had taken in my freshman year at Lee College (now Lee University). Still in my teens and less than two years after recommitting my life to Christ, God used the most influential Old Testament writing prophet to establish an unshakeable foundation in my life:
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry.
It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it” (Isaiah 55:8-11 NLT).
Even though we did not know it at the time, my future wife, Linda Fay Johnson, was in the same class. Years later, when reviewing our transcripts, we discovered she had made a better grade than I. She never let me live that down!
In 2003, after forty years of marriage, our idyllic relationship was threatened when Alzheimer’s became an unwelcome part of our world. During the next twenty years as we journeyed into a never-ending series of unknowns, we clung to the great truths we had first discovered in that long ago class: the Sovereignty of God, His relationship to His children, and His unshakeable commitment to bring about His purpose in our lives.
Linda has now been in the presence of our Lord for two years and eight months. In the first posting of 2026, I noted that as healing continues to take place in my life, I intend to give myself permission to live in the moment, relate to those around me, and anticipate what is ahead! Over many years of teaching, counseling, and pastoring, I have taught that a forward-leaning statement demonstrates confidence and commitment to action. However, without a specific plan, it can become meaningless hyperbole. Therefore, in 2026 and beyond, as a single man, I shall honor God and continue to provide a role model for my family by focusing on three great truths:
Our Lives on Earth are Transient in Light of Eternity — In Pentecostal Spirituality, Steven J. Land notes, “The kingdom of God is already present, but not yet consummated.” While living in that tension, it sometimes seems as if we are alone and God is unaware of our pain and suffering. Conversely, when we experience an inbreaking of the kingdom which is yet to come, we are overwhelmed by His presence. For me, having lived through great suffering as well as great blessings, these two extremes are not hypothetical and are embodied in the admonition of Solomon: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV).
Sufferings and Blessings are Complementary – Unfortunately, many Christians view suffering as an enemy to spirituality. That is a false assumption. The great Apostle Paul, who suffered much in life and yet testified to having great joy, illustrates the complementary relationship between two realities: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5 NIV).
Our Hope Must Rest Upon a Biblical Foundation – Hope is commonly defined as desire with expectation of fulfillment. In reality, this can also be an expression of wishful thinking. Unfortunately, the impact of that definition is now filtering into the life of the church: Followers of Christ, when pressed as to whether they believe in key biblical doctrines such as the assurance of salvation, the existence of Heaven, or God’s power to deliver from sin often respond with, “I sure hope so!” Compare this to the declaration of Edward Mote, an English cabinetmaker who later became a Baptist Pastor. In 1834, while walking to work in London, he wrote the hymn, “My Hope is Built. ”No ambiguity is found in the stanzas:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
Ron Harvard Ministries 