The Basics are Basic

I recall a conversation with our friend on Inter Varsity staff many years ago. He said when people find their lives out of sorts, they usually look for a dramatic solution--a silver bullet, as they say. Our friend said, "I almost get tired of saying it, but the answer in almost every case is to stick with the basics: meet God regularly in His word and prayer, obey what He says, be kind to people," etc. It's not that doing the right things magically protects us from all kinds of trouble. But whether we're in trouble or not, those disciplines will carry us through on a steady keel.

I thought about that last night as I saw our little lighted frog sculpture each time I woke up. After all these months, it's still essential to Fully Rely On God! And when I forget, anxieties flood in. In the same way, when I fail to keep high-tech cream on my feet, the skin dries and cracks (and hurts) as a consequence of the kemo. And when I don't get enough sleep I drag through the days. And when I drop an attitude of thanksgiving, self-pity takes its place. So back to the basics.

Last evening we attended a fund-raiser for a residential ministry to Kenyan children whose parents died of AIDS. Their smiling faces and academic successes belie their desperate condition and poor prospects before they came to Gethsemane Gardens Christian Centre. Inspiring!

Our prayers are with our daughter Karin today as she writes her civil procedures final exam in law school. I know it will be tough. She has been enormously encouraged by finding a classmate who is a committed Christian. I think we'll get to meet her and her husband while we're in Indiana at Christmas time.

Have a blessed day.

Carol