When I reflect back on my life, I see what appears as a sine wave, a series of highs and lows…..mountains mixed among the valleys. And believe me when I say, some of the these highs were truly amazing!  Take for example, shooting my first deer with dad……staring into the eyes of my oldest child for the first time….and from diving the deep blue waters near Mariana Trench to leading Intelligence missions as a ‘Demon Chaser’.  And so many things in between,  such as racing 40 ft cutters in Chesapeake Bay….supporting air defense as a CPST operator at ‘Top Rock’…..to … refueling fighters over the skies in Germany.....to ultimately marrying my soul mate and raising three more amazing children, and finally visiting 28 countries, some in uniform, some in civies, and many in swimsuits with my wife and travel partner in crime. These are just some of the highlights I’ve experienced over the years in my professional career and personal life.

 

At the opposite end of the spectrum are the lows.  And some of these valleys ran deep. My birth father left when I was an infant. As a teenager I struggled.  Much of it was just my rebellious nature at the time. Other contributing factors likely included not having a father figure that I could look up to and trust to be present, when I needed him. When a

God-centered father did come into my life in the latter part of my teenage years, I was already past the point of needing one....or so I thought.  I was doing things that I wanted to do, and no one was going to tell me differently. This attitude continued as I embarked on a 30 year career with the government that included time in the military, as well as civil service.  During this career, I have been the victim of verbal sexual harassment, two of my children were sexually abused by a close friend and family member, two of my best friends committed suicide, and one of my children is in prison for life without parole. As I’m writing this, I’m thinking how in the world did I make it through all of this? And then I remember….....but God.

 

My mother, who is the most Christ-like person I’ve ever known, led me to Jesus when I was about the age of 9 in a small Pentecostal church in the hills of Arkansas.  It was this pivotal moment that set me on a trajectory that would ensure that I had the power within me to overcome the trials and tribulations that lie ahead.  Does this mean that I prayed daily and attended church all the time? On the contrary, as mentioned earlier, I rebelled as a teenager. It wasn't until the age of 19, during my first year in the military, that a pastor's son and co-worker, saw my hurt and convinced me to get baptized and rededicate my life to Christ. This pivotal point helped strengthen me, and was essential in getting me through all of the trials that were still to come. 

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Now.....decades later.... in the latter stages of my life, while I continue to struggle with many health issues, I can honestly say that the Lord has kept His promise to me, the one He made back at the young age of 9 years old. He said that He would always look after me, and that He would never leave me, nor forsake me. (Deut 31:6)

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Romans 5:3-5 says that the sufferings we go through produce endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. When I reflect back on the last 50 years, I can personally testify that this is absolutely true! Another scripture that comes to mind as I reflect on the past, is Romans 8:28, which says that God works all things together for good, for those that love Him and who are called according to His Purpose. Again, I can attest that this is true, as I can see a positive outcome after each trial I've suffered through.  I definitely didn't see the 'good' while I was in the middle of the storm. However, in hindsight, often times immediately, and other times not until years later, it was indeed evident that even though the enemy meant the storm for evil, God meant it for good. (Genesis 50:20)

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The God that created the universe and everything in it, would also like to have a relationship with YOU!  He loves you so much that He even came down to earth as a human, and died for you. There is no greater love than this! Click HERE  to learn how to be SAVED now!   

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