A Matter of Perspective

I was going to title this a "Question of Balance," but since the Moody Blues used that back in 1969, I decided against it.

This has been a tumultuous fall. The markets have been dropping, housing market crashing, financial institutions failing - everywhere you turn, you hear the bad news. We've been praying for the kids at Mission of Mercy, while looking to cut internal costs any way we can. A drop in giving means that our ability to help the children will be impacted. This has been a very stressful time in leadership at Mission of Mercy. Even though Americans are struggling, the need is growing greater for the kids in developing nations.

On the personal side, I found out what African Tick Bite Fever was - about 10 days after it knocked me for a loop. A few days back from Swaziland and I was ill, but still trying to go into the office every day. Just as I was starting to recover, a doctor confirmed the diagnosis, and the fact that it just needs to run its course.

I was not having a good end of November. But, on Friday, the 21st, Dee and I flew to Seattle and then drove up to Lynden, where our daughter Kate, her husband Aaron, and our grand daughter Montana now reside. Aaron's parents were also there for his ordination ceremony Sunday evening. On Saturday evening, we celebrated Montana's 1st birthday (just a few days ahead of schedule). What a joy it was to spend time with her again. She is a delightful baby and we miss being near her.

Sunday evening, we all headed across the street for Aaron's ordination ceremony. Seven churches in the Lynden area are supporting him as he seeks to plant a church, probably in the Bellingham area. The church was full. As leaders from each of the seven churches surrounded him and laid hands on him in prayer, we were deeply touched. We can see that Kate and Aaron already have a base of people that love and support them. At the end of the evening, we addressed the Reverend Aaron Walters as an ordained pastor in the Christian Reformed Church. We are very proud of Aaron and Kate, and pray for their success as they establish a new home.

On Monday, we flew back to Colorado, then drove to South Dakota on Tuesday. I met up with my son, Mason, and we headed up to a little trailer house on Iron Creek Lake to spend a couple days. Thankfully, there was a neighbor who hauled us, and our stuff, to the trailer on his snowmobile - there was lots of snow on the ground. We beat the brush, in vain, looking for the great whitetail buck for a couple days, but still managed to meet up with Dee, her sister and her parents for a great Thanksgiving feast.

After the pressures of the past couple weeks, and fighting things healthwise, the change of scenery was just what the doctor ordered. Sometimes we allow things to grow larger than life, and they begin to consume us. There are challenges ahead, and they'll be around for a long time to some. But, in the middle of all of that, we need to remember the blessing of family and of children. It was a lesson I needed to learn all over again.

As we look ahead to the Christmas season, I hope I can remember to balance the troubles of the world with the blessings that God has given through family and friends. My hope is for a balanced perspective for you, as well.