Well, I received numerous emails about my post yesterday from Texas natives concerning the cross ring I mentioned in the post. Several readers expressed an interest in obtaining one. To find one Google a jewelry store established by James Avery in Kerrville Texas and not Kerr. Apparently it has a museum there as well. Since it was a gift I didn’t ask where it was purchased and my friend mentioned it in passing. I thought I heard Kerr, but he must have meant Kerrville. One woman wrote and said she obtained a woman’s version of the ring there which she wears next to her beloved father’s ring who passed away not long ago.
Another longtime reader said he noticed that I wore my cross ring first and wedding band second. That was deliberate on my part because Jesus Christ comes above all else. And finally, one friend wrote to tell me not to give up my day job because I would never make it as a hand model. I told him that old gnarled up hand had cracked many a skull and to be careful or his would be next. LOL
I suppose I’m dwelling on this subject again because I wanted to encourage you to listen to God as he gently whispers to you. Take time out of your busy day to look and listen for God. I happened to notice it in the ring because I am looking for God every day and He does not disappoint. One reason I have tried so hard through the years to live near the ocean, manmade lakes, rivers, and farms in the middle of nowhere is it helps me draw closer to God. The ocean is God’s playground, and I cannot tell you the many mindboggling experiences I’ve had seeing whales, porpoise and huge schools of fish that are so beautifully colored they will take your breath away cutting through crystal clear water for a starter.
Farms are the same. As is my custom I went to the kitchen to pour a glass of tea this morning and when I looked out the window I saw two large majestic white herons gracefully flying across the pond in my back yard. I wondered how God was going to feed them today. I walked out on the porch and heard several mourning doves singing to each other with their songs (which sound kind of melancholy to me but to them I suspect those songs indicate contentment and peace). A few Whitetail fawns are also finally beginning to make their appearance in the fields, and I occasionally get a glimpse of them frolicking and running around their mothers acting silly while she disinterestedly pays little attention. And then there are the beautiful sunrises, sunsets, inky black dark nights, and billions of stars. I could go on, but you get the picture.
While it is not necessary to live in the type places I love, to hear God gently whispering His love and encouragement, it is in my estimation helpful. If you cannot live in such a place most anyone can go to one of the many local, state, and national parks. If gorgeous sunrises and wildlife are not your thing, you need not be left out. God is everywhere. He is there in the twinkling eyes of babies and young children, in churches, on every street corner. He speaks to us in unconventional ways every day. He is not shouting from the mountain peaks but the mountain peaks shout for him with their glorious presence.
Enjoy your life. Yes there will be ups and downs, but don’t let that deter you. I asked one of my good friends yesterday how things were going. He told me that last week was the absolute worst week he has had in a long time. A bearing burned up in his truck, a trailer hitch broke while he was driving down the road hauling equipment, his fence building operation came to a halt when he dug a post hole and hit a main water line and two days after fixing that he hit another one.
We laughed about it and I told him life was like a roller coaster. Sometimes you are on a peak only to plunge down into the valley. He grinned and said he was in the valley. I smiled back and told him that was good news because it meant he was heading for the peak again. God was with my friend every step of the way and gently whispering to him to just take it in stride until He puts my buddy right back on the top of the world. This young man took His advice and the last thing he said to me was: “Mr. Bob I am so blessed I cannot begin to tell you.” Indeed, we are, and I am incredibly thankful to Jesus Christ for all His blessings.
2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.