the compromise

Sunday, October 7, 2018 (10:17 a.m.)

Convict Lake, CA

Oh most Dear and Holy God,

Thank You! Thank You for the blessings. Thank You for the beauty. Thank You for the Beginning. And the End (Revelation 22:13). Thank You for everything in between.

The very dear husband and I have been talking. For over five hours. Driving and talking. Remembering and planning. Giving You praise. And our gratitude.

Blessed Father God, how we most genuinely offer our thanks to You for the changes You have made in each of us. The growth. The softening. The firming up where necessary. And the compromise.

(10:33 a.m.)

Oh yes Dearest Dad ~ the compromise! Forty-five years of us learning to meet each other in the middle of almost every situation.

Take this very moment for example: Me - Here. Parked in the sunshine. Sitting in the 69.9 degree car. Sharing my heart and thoughts with You. Him - Down by the lake. In the colder than 39 degree shade. Each doing what we love. And being eternally grateful to You for the opportunity.

Oh thank and praise You Father! You are still growing us. Into the people You would have us be. Loving. Joyful. Peaceful. Patient. Kind. Good. Faithful. Gentle. Self-controlled ~ against which there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).

Even there Holy God ~ I am grateful to You for finally giving me the clue. After ALL these years of reciting these attributes, I finally have a germ of understanding as to what “against such there is no law” means.

In life with You there is no law against love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Oh thank You Lord.

Thank You for Your love. And for the faith and the hope (1 Corinthians 13:13) we have in You. Thank You for the various times the husband and I were ready to quit. Each with our own lists of unmet expectations. Every time You intervened, in one way or another. Thank You Father.

This exact time and place is yet another example of the compromise You have taught us through the years. More than four decades ago I had a choice. Learn to love or resent fishing.

Choosing to love it, I was quickly able to determine which aspects I truly enjoyed [like being with You in nature] and which [being cold] I could easily do without. Thank You Father. Because of these determinations I’ve been blessed by more beauty than I could ever imagine on my own.

Yes. Thank You Father.

And now ~ just for a note of silliness and documentation of things that change for the better. Two words have shown up here this morning, each causing me to smile at my VERY much younger self. Not yet having learned their proper pronunciation I still remember wondering: “Com-promise”? “Deter-mine”?

The young reader I once was had zero understanding of these words. Thank You for the giggles that came after the “Aha!” of correctly pronouncing them.

And just as quickly comes another memory. Deciding to love camping actually led me to learning “Yose-mite” is really Yo-se-mi-te! Thanks Daddy God.

Thank You for com-pro-mise. De-ter-mi-nation. And Yosemite. Each vital in their own way to my walk with You. Our marriage. And the joy You provide us every single day. Thank You Father.

“May Your love be upon us, God, as we place our hope in You” (Psalm 33:22). Oh yes! Praise You. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(594 words ~ 11:53 a.m.)