The Lord Gives…

Job acknowledges the sovereignty of God in all situations. “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away,” he says. He does not try to protect God or to defend God or to strip God of his rights as creator. He simply acknowledges the fact that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.

This past year has seen its share of his taking away. I’ve experienced that in our church, and I’ve seen it in the lives of a number of friends.

But it has as well been a rich, rich year of his giving. How so?

* In the past year, God has given to my oldest daughter a wise, godly, loving husband. Since her preteen years, she has longed to be a wife and mother, and the first half of that desire has been met by a man perfect for her. And then, the second half, that of being a mother, is, shall we say, incubating.

* My middle son was previously married and divorced, and has a son. He could not imagine any woman being interested in him after that. However, I got to watch late this spring as he stood before a young woman, with a tear on his cheek, and heard her pledge her troth to him. And what a woman God has brought him. Bright, sensitive, joyful, one who loves God and loves him. We could not be more blessed.

* Then there is the woman whom God gave five years ago to my oldest son. None of us Greenwald men are easy to love, but this woman is such a perfect fit for Seth. She laughs with him, and when necessary, laughs at him. They rejoice in the same things and pursue together the heart of God. She and my wife have so much in common that as they prepare to move, I’m wondering if Barb’s sorrow is more for losing Amy than for losing Seth.

* In the past year, a dear friend surprised Barb and I with a gift of a trip to Chicago. We would never have conceived such a trip nor planned for it. It was given to us, and it was such a delight to spend time together in such a neat place.

* While in Chicago, we celebrated thirty years of marriage. What a beautiful woman God has given me, one whose beauty deepens with age. And Barb has such patience (I think long-suffering is the right concept) to endure a life with me for all these years. I’m having to repent daily of my failings as a husband. But she soldiers on loving me.

* We were awed during that trip that God has also given us two maturing and responsible daughters. Twice in the past year they have been left at home to care for the household, to be the people in charge, and to do so without our guidance and intervention. And during our absence, we had no worries at all about their behavior or responsibility. What a blessing they are to us.

* In the past year, all three of my youngest children stood, at different times, before the congregation of Hope Church and professed their faith in Jesus Christ. How deeply we celebrate that. But are they fully perfected saints? Of course not. But their desire to take this stand before God’s people reveals where they want their heart and life to be. They profess faith in Jesus not because Barb and I are something special; they have done so because God has been faithful to his covenant and has drawn them.

* And then there were the Rays…

A blog is such a self-indulgent thing, and so I could keep going well beyond the limits of anyone’s patience, but I’ll end here.

The Lord does at times take away.

But he always gives.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

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Note on the picture: I KNOW that is a chicken and not a turkey. I figured everyone else in the world would be putting a turkey picture on their Thanksgiving posts. I just wanted to be different.