Morning Devotional
August  2, 2005
"17th Anniversary"      
    by Don Emmitte

But Jesus knew what they were planning. He left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, but he warned them not to say who he was. This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him: "Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, and I am very pleased with him. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not fight or shout; he will not raise his voice in public. He will not crush those who are weak, or quench the smallest hope, until he brings full justice with his final victory. And his name will be the hope of all the world." (Matthew 12:15-21 NLT).

 

Not long ago I read of a man, who had spent many summers in Maine. He fascinated his companions by telling of his experiences in a little town named Flagstaff. The town was to be flooded, as part of a large lake for which a dam was being built. In the months before it was to be flooded, all improvements and repairs in the whole town were stopped. What was the use of painting a house if it were to be covered with water in six months? Why repair anything when the whole village was to be wiped out? So, week-by-week, the whole town became more and more bedraggled, more gone to seed, more woebegone. Then he added by way of explanation: “Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.” 1

 

Today is the 17th anniversary of my 39th birthday! Yep, you do the math… I am 56. I suppose if I really had known I was going to live this long, I would have done a little better job taking care of myself. All kidding aside, birthdays are a time of reflection for me. As I look back, it allows me to get a better perspective for the future. The past has not always been wonderful, but it has always been enough. In that I have been able to draw hope. I am convinced that is the answer so many people are searching for in the midst of their pain and trial.

 

I am not a connoisseur of great art, but from time to time a painting or picture will really speak a clear, strong message to me. One of my favorites is by Jim Gray. It is a watercolor of an old tree house in the woods of the Smoky Mountains. The wood is rotted and the rungs of the ladder leading to the platform are broken. There is a tattered flag still attached to one of the rails. The title of the work is Remember the Good Times. Here’s what the artist says about it:

 

One of the highlights of many a childhood would have to be the days spent building and playing in a tree house. That joy of youth is relived by every adult who gives the time to a child to create another magical place where memories are made. This particular tree house was built by Jim and family on the hill behind the house in Gatlinburg. The kids were all grown when this painting was done, and today even the old oak is gone; but each of us has only to look into these woods and we easily "Remember the Good Times".

 

Instead of it being a reminder of the despair of life, it is a reminder of hope! I need reminders that there is hope in this world. Don’t you? In the midst of all of life’s troubles and failures, I need mental pictures to remind me that all is not lost as long as God is alive and in control of His world. Think on those things today and see if you don’t feel much better about both your present and future!

 

1.       Halford E. Luccock, Unfinished Business.