The idea of giving a testimony was never really my thing, but as I approach the ending of life, I want to publicly thank God for his goodness to me over my life. I may not post much more if any at all because of some health issues, but I wished to express my experiences over life in case they would encourage someone who reads it.
I thank God I was born into a Christ centered family who took the faith to heart and lived it, so I was blessed to possibly being born from above not long after physical birth.
I thank God that he showed me that with my view of the relationship of man to woman as based on scripture, it would make marriage a very bad choice for me. So I backed off my plan to marry this particular Christian girl even though we had been in serious discussion about it.
Approaching midlife, I found myself blessed to be brought to recognize fully that the book of Proverbs was not a merely a book of man's wisdom as found among many religions around the world, it was truly words and wisdom from God. Recognizing this, there came a time in midlife where I spent days upon days reading and meditating on this wisdom from God, and it changed my life for the better, in my walk here below.
Though I did not marry, once I was in my fifties, the fact that it is not good that a man be alone really hit me as I was looking toward the last half of life, and once again, God stepped in guiding my focus to Eccl. 4:7-12, and I began to pray to the Lord about my need for companionship. Almost 30 years ago God brought me into contact online with a Buddhist originally from an eastern country, and strangely we developed a close friendship long distance. It was only later I learned of his being drawn by God to Jesus Christ and he was born from above prior to coming to North America, but he had no real understanding of what happened so I was able to guide and teach him. He immigrated to the US and became a citizen. He is 21 years my junior, an IT professional, and quite successful. It turned out he became my friend and companion and in the last 15 years has become like a son to me, and he cares for me as a son cares for his father. So, God was so good in the way he answered my prayer to him. Being a green country boy, never being in contact with a foreigner, this was truly unusual!
It is with gratitude that I came to understand that God truly takes care of us when we hadn't prayed specifically for something, or He answered me, but in ways I had not expected. Just before retirement I suffered a spinal cord injury, but the Lord gave me rehabilitation that doctors were not able to direct or understand, so I recovered about 80% and live well.
It was later that providentially, incidentally to another examination, it was found I had a thoracic aneurysmal aorta, and it was seen so it can be monitored annually, in case it grows larger. That is a situation that can sneak up on a person without a symptom and then you die in just a matter of minutes when it bursts. Again, God took care of me in a way I had not expected or realized was needful.
I can be stubborn and at times it seems that God has to bop me up the side of the head with a 2X4, but thankfully, by his grace, I am still alive and kicking as I approach 83. My medicine cabinet may look like a pharmacy, that too is God's gift.
It is truly amazing and mysterious how God works on our behalf, for his own glory, and making things work for good in our lives in a way we never expect. My friend relied on me to help him learn, adjust and adapt to western culture, and he did struggle. Why or how did he become my companion? He had a girlfriend he was planning to marry, but he one day told me, "I cannot adapt to how the women and children in the North America rule in rebellion, and I can't even think of trying to raise a family here in this culture. But I'm not about to return and go under Communist rule." Over time, it became clear that God had given me a friend who sticks closer than a brother, and he has succeeded in life to the point he is like a son taking oversight and watch-care over me. In a family there is the father guiding and teaching his son and he is sort of the superior; but then, a time comes in life when things reverse and the son is watching for and over his father. In a strange way, this is how things have turned out for me in my life. It was God's plan for me and it was not at all what I would have expected in my younger years.
The Lord Jesus Christ has been so gracious and good to me in all ways and I am not worthy of any of it! God is not only good, he is great to those who love him. This love itself is a gift in Jesus Christ. So, dear child of God, even in times when it seems dark and we don't understand, the Almighty is truly in control and nothing will turn out bad for you.
I thank God I was born into a Christ centered family who took the faith to heart and lived it, so I was blessed to possibly being born from above not long after physical birth.
I thank God that he showed me that with my view of the relationship of man to woman as based on scripture, it would make marriage a very bad choice for me. So I backed off my plan to marry this particular Christian girl even though we had been in serious discussion about it.
Approaching midlife, I found myself blessed to be brought to recognize fully that the book of Proverbs was not a merely a book of man's wisdom as found among many religions around the world, it was truly words and wisdom from God. Recognizing this, there came a time in midlife where I spent days upon days reading and meditating on this wisdom from God, and it changed my life for the better, in my walk here below.
Though I did not marry, once I was in my fifties, the fact that it is not good that a man be alone really hit me as I was looking toward the last half of life, and once again, God stepped in guiding my focus to Eccl. 4:7-12, and I began to pray to the Lord about my need for companionship. Almost 30 years ago God brought me into contact online with a Buddhist originally from an eastern country, and strangely we developed a close friendship long distance. It was only later I learned of his being drawn by God to Jesus Christ and he was born from above prior to coming to North America, but he had no real understanding of what happened so I was able to guide and teach him. He immigrated to the US and became a citizen. He is 21 years my junior, an IT professional, and quite successful. It turned out he became my friend and companion and in the last 15 years has become like a son to me, and he cares for me as a son cares for his father. So, God was so good in the way he answered my prayer to him. Being a green country boy, never being in contact with a foreigner, this was truly unusual!
It is with gratitude that I came to understand that God truly takes care of us when we hadn't prayed specifically for something, or He answered me, but in ways I had not expected. Just before retirement I suffered a spinal cord injury, but the Lord gave me rehabilitation that doctors were not able to direct or understand, so I recovered about 80% and live well.
It was later that providentially, incidentally to another examination, it was found I had a thoracic aneurysmal aorta, and it was seen so it can be monitored annually, in case it grows larger. That is a situation that can sneak up on a person without a symptom and then you die in just a matter of minutes when it bursts. Again, God took care of me in a way I had not expected or realized was needful.
I can be stubborn and at times it seems that God has to bop me up the side of the head with a 2X4, but thankfully, by his grace, I am still alive and kicking as I approach 83. My medicine cabinet may look like a pharmacy, that too is God's gift.
It is truly amazing and mysterious how God works on our behalf, for his own glory, and making things work for good in our lives in a way we never expect. My friend relied on me to help him learn, adjust and adapt to western culture, and he did struggle. Why or how did he become my companion? He had a girlfriend he was planning to marry, but he one day told me, "I cannot adapt to how the women and children in the North America rule in rebellion, and I can't even think of trying to raise a family here in this culture. But I'm not about to return and go under Communist rule." Over time, it became clear that God had given me a friend who sticks closer than a brother, and he has succeeded in life to the point he is like a son taking oversight and watch-care over me. In a family there is the father guiding and teaching his son and he is sort of the superior; but then, a time comes in life when things reverse and the son is watching for and over his father. In a strange way, this is how things have turned out for me in my life. It was God's plan for me and it was not at all what I would have expected in my younger years.
The Lord Jesus Christ has been so gracious and good to me in all ways and I am not worthy of any of it! God is not only good, he is great to those who love him. This love itself is a gift in Jesus Christ. So, dear child of God, even in times when it seems dark and we don't understand, the Almighty is truly in control and nothing will turn out bad for you.
