A Time of Pain

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all our ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight". (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Hey Gang:  Growing up in the mountains of Pennsylvania was a wonderful experience, but also a very hard existence.  They used to say we lived so far back in the sticks that even the hoot owls carried knap sacks, and they had to pump sunshine to us.  My daddy was a coal miner and coal miners were equal to church mices in pay.   But I did not know we were poor until the local social worker showed up at school and placed me on the ‘needs-milk list’.

I always thought my mother was a genius in her ability to stretch a dollar.  She could get more 'bang for a buck' than any one I have ever met but, rubber as she made them, there was not room in the Saturday check to buy anything but the bare necessities of existence.  However, everyone, in the tiny mining community of several families, was in the same boat -so we really did not know we were destitute.

I learned two wonderful lessons during those years: one was the joy of anticipation and the other, that God had built into me a trait called ‘ingenuity’.  I found I had the ability to use my God given talents to find things to keep me busy.   I can say without qualification that in my lifetime those two wonderful gifts have served me well.  We are truly blessed to have wonderful minds  -that when used for good, we can do things far beyond what we consider to be our ability level.

When we moved from California to Eagle Community in Michigan, with what we believed to be God's call to develop a program for troubled children, I spent two years as the only "Non employed director of a non-existing boys’ home".   Since my bride had a teaching degree ,she was able to find employment. For some reason I was unable to find a job sufficient to feed my family, so  in the 60’s, I became one of the first 'stay at home dads'. 

How many out there know in God's agenda there are no wasted times or experiences?  If we are diligently locked into God's program, it is like storing food for the future - only in this case it was storing experiences that I would one day use.  I did everything from working the fields with a local farmer, which meant repairing equipment,  learning to work with animals and many other wonderful experiences.  I also built furniture and toys.  But most importantly, I spent many hours filling my tanks  in the Word. Gma Jesse, a wonderful Bible Teacher, lived next door. There were all good tools that I would use in the future, as we developed the Village.

But it was also a time of struggle, for I am not a very patient person, and allowing my bride to be the support for our family was not something I handled very well.  Agony and pain might be a better description.  

Soooo, what was the lessons learned in those two years in the wilderness?  That " We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).    

 Blessings,

Gramps