The Shaping of Life

Meditation: 

What has shaped me more than anything in my 78 years? Not my experiences, for they would have destroyed me; not my friends, too many of them were unfaithful, and I would be bitter. Not my extended family, for we lost touch. Not my church experience, for that has been mixed. Not the many good books I read, for I read with a critical eye, but some did me good. Not even my beloved wife of fifty years, but my life would have been very barren without her faithfulness and love.

Looking back, I confess and believe that the most important "shaping" of my life was the Holy Scriptures which I have read every day for most of my life, and have meditated and been energized to love the good and hate the evil, and through which I have learned of the blessed Father, Son, and Holy Spirit whose eternal plan was for me to partake of eternal life and blessedness, through no merit of my own.

Without the Scriptures, I would have been overwhelmed by my experiences. I would have chosen evil companions, brought shame and ruin to my loved ones, read foul and ruinous books, abandoned the church, and destroyed my wife and my marriage, for they would likely have become idols for me. The Holy Writings have been a light for my path; truly a light shining in the darkness, and in a very large way my life, my thoughts, my relationship have been shaped by it and I see the world through the lens of Scripture, I confess. There is very much in me that is contrary to the Scriptures even after all these years, but some day I will be like Christ, for the Scriptures promise that His people will be like Him when we see Him as He is.

Good night on this Sabbath eve. A blessed day of worship and praise comes tomorrow.