They were close friends of our family. As a child I can recall many visits to their farm, a beautiful sprawling homestead with a variety of buildings and animals – a place where kids could uncover or create bushels of adventure and fun. Mischief was readily found as well, as I recall. I can easily recapture our family’s time there. During the holidays there were great meals, and of course they began with prayer around the giant table. These folk confessed Jesus as savior and were part of a local fellowship of believers. They regularly attended church for worship. They were good people with an unblemished reputation in the neighborhood. As with most young couples, the children soon came – there were seven. Friends and family saw God’s blessing with each new arrival -- a joy to the home, future heirs to the family farming business.
In a brief twenty minute drive east lived a different sort of family. They owned a beautifully restored historic- type home that was framed by finely manicured grounds. It was graced with an elegant entrance and a winding drive that swept past a horse stable and disappeared into lush landscaping. It was an estate worth a fortune and it provided the neighborhood with a glimpse of elegance and luxury few could imagine. The lady of the house spent her days caring for the property, playing tennis, or entertaining friends. The two young children were popular and regularly invited classmates to share in their good fortune. S o leisurely was the environment, that even the family parrot found its value by sounding the by-word for life on this estate. All visitors were greeted with a squawking, “tennis anyone?’ By almost any standard these folks lived the good life and certainly they were making the most of it.
Two families… two pathways… two worlds, yet both seemed to have a firm grasp on the proverbial gold ring. The future was bright for both. I would think that most of us are just a bit uneasy with that - the righteous and ungodly prospering side by side. Likely we have reconciled it all and found some scriptures that counsel us. Certainly, the blessings of God will overtake those who honor Him, and the godless will one day drink of the bitter wine they brew. It’s neat. It’s concise. It’s theology with which we can comfortably live.
With all that settled, let’s revisit the families introduced earlier. How did their lives unfold as they took the stage some forty years ago? I’m unsure where or how the trendy family is living today, but by all accounts things worked out quite well. The kids finished college, the family stayed intact, and the traditions and lifestyle modeled by their parents continue on today. The fate of the parrot -- no one seems to know.
The story of our family’s close friends – the seven children, the sprawling homestead and the budding family business, how did it go for them? I have images of their home etched deeply in my mind – I recall scenes that continue to mold my life. The excitement and energy that young children always bring to a home were strangely absent. Instead of incessant chatter and laughter, a rare genetic disorder stole the family’s most precious possession, leaving its lethal mark of infirmity and mental disability. The first son arrived, a few years after the disease took its toll. The same occurred with another child, and then came the twins…then a son, then another son – five became invalids within their first few years and of the seven, only one lived to raise a family and carry on the family’s name and Christian heritage.
Is it possible to quantify the pain endured by the parents? No doubt with Job they lamented: If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas …” I have few answers to the easy questions of life… I can’t marshal the capacity to even consider the issues with which our friends must have struggled.
But I must reconcile it all; here is my conclusion. One day at heaven’s gate the enormous crowd will step aside and watch breathlessly as these parents eagerly search for the six children death stole from them. I have no doubt they will find them somewhere near the throne of Jesus, and what an indescribable day of celebration that will be!
In a brief twenty minute drive east lived a different sort of family. They owned a beautifully restored historic- type home that was framed by finely manicured grounds. It was graced with an elegant entrance and a winding drive that swept past a horse stable and disappeared into lush landscaping. It was an estate worth a fortune and it provided the neighborhood with a glimpse of elegance and luxury few could imagine. The lady of the house spent her days caring for the property, playing tennis, or entertaining friends. The two young children were popular and regularly invited classmates to share in their good fortune. S o leisurely was the environment, that even the family parrot found its value by sounding the by-word for life on this estate. All visitors were greeted with a squawking, “tennis anyone?’ By almost any standard these folks lived the good life and certainly they were making the most of it.
Two families… two pathways… two worlds, yet both seemed to have a firm grasp on the proverbial gold ring. The future was bright for both. I would think that most of us are just a bit uneasy with that - the righteous and ungodly prospering side by side. Likely we have reconciled it all and found some scriptures that counsel us. Certainly, the blessings of God will overtake those who honor Him, and the godless will one day drink of the bitter wine they brew. It’s neat. It’s concise. It’s theology with which we can comfortably live.
With all that settled, let’s revisit the families introduced earlier. How did their lives unfold as they took the stage some forty years ago? I’m unsure where or how the trendy family is living today, but by all accounts things worked out quite well. The kids finished college, the family stayed intact, and the traditions and lifestyle modeled by their parents continue on today. The fate of the parrot -- no one seems to know.
The story of our family’s close friends – the seven children, the sprawling homestead and the budding family business, how did it go for them? I have images of their home etched deeply in my mind – I recall scenes that continue to mold my life. The excitement and energy that young children always bring to a home were strangely absent. Instead of incessant chatter and laughter, a rare genetic disorder stole the family’s most precious possession, leaving its lethal mark of infirmity and mental disability. The first son arrived, a few years after the disease took its toll. The same occurred with another child, and then came the twins…then a son, then another son – five became invalids within their first few years and of the seven, only one lived to raise a family and carry on the family’s name and Christian heritage.
Is it possible to quantify the pain endured by the parents? No doubt with Job they lamented: If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas …” I have few answers to the easy questions of life… I can’t marshal the capacity to even consider the issues with which our friends must have struggled.
But I must reconcile it all; here is my conclusion. One day at heaven’s gate the enormous crowd will step aside and watch breathlessly as these parents eagerly search for the six children death stole from them. I have no doubt they will find them somewhere near the throne of Jesus, and what an indescribable day of celebration that will be!
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