August 19 2023
THE MAKING OF ME.
Had I been conceived a second later, a different me, with the same name, would have been born some 9 months later. Now, after almost 95 years, I am a worrier, worried after reading the August 15 edition of ARCTIC NEWS, which suggests to me what 2 Peter 3 predicts: “The heavens will disappear like a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire”, as trillions of tons of methane suddenly surge to the surface.
It’s time to take stock. Time for digging into my own self. Time to ‘know thyself’. The Greek philosophers said: “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” The Bible tells us that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. Both are right.
The Proverbs, that ‘wisdom’ book following the 150 Psalms in the Hebrew Bible, is attributed to Solomon, king of Israel. It was composed to give ‘prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young and make wise men wiser’. Attaining wisdom and discipline”, is a line repeated numerous times in the book.
I believe that today we literally live in the last days, as ARCTIC NEWS points out, in frightening detail. Time is running out to get to know ourselves, so I follow Psalm 139: “Search me God, and know my heart.” Whatever we ask God to do, we must do ourselves.
So…….
Looking back on my long life (I hope to celebrate my 95th birthday in October amidst my extended family of five children, their spouses, numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, brother and friends) I cannot quite pinpoint when these two facets, wisdom and discipline, become dominant in my life. Perhaps a beginning was made in 1961 when I quit smoking and started running, never quite reaching the marathon level, but repeatedly participating in 10km runs, training 4 times each week, and often galloping around the block in my rural area, along highway 37 in Tweed, going south, taking a left on Lynch Road, turning onto the LaBarge road to the Bridgewater, along mostly wooded stretches, back to highway 37 – a distance of 14 km. I once, running early, saw a lynx/bobcat standing on the edge of the forest, following my steady progress.
In 1986, now 37 years ago, I started another routine, writing in longhand, in Journeying through the days, a daily entry of 400 words each weekday and 800 words on Sundays. I did that until the Upper Room publications in Nashville, Tennessee, ceased printing those beautiful journals, in 2013. Each entry had a bible text based on the Lectionary, on which I commented. I now do this routine on my laptop, writing 500 words each morning, right after breakfast, also based on the Lectionary.
In 1986, initiating my journal, I wrote the following: “I really appreciate the format of this diary, as I had already kept a daily record for 6 years.” Yes, in 1980, now 43 years ago, I started a diary, which I ceased when Covid emerged, and my daily doings became routine. My wife of 67 years died almost 3 years ago, and since then I, basically, has been confined to my home and village, venturing beyond these limits only in company.
My holy duty.
I see it as my God-given task to treat my body with the utmost respect, sincerely convinced that God has given me my body as the seat of the HOLY SPIRIT, as a personal treasure to properly nourish and maintain. I also believe that in my body dwells spirit and mind, all three forming a unity that makes me a whole person. My body is more than flesh and bones, is more than nerves and sinews, more than blood and brains: it’s all of these. It is my divine duty to develop that totality within the place of creation where I find myself. Also, I have been very blessed in my marriage where my wife of 67 years has greatly beneficially influenced my personality.
So, how then do I live?
Movement is the key to my long life, combined with diet and reflection. I daily walk close to an hour, or 6,000 steps. I have been vegetarian for some 45-50 years, eat mostly homegrown and organic food. Two meals a day. No alcohol; have an afternoon nap.
In 2 Peter 3 the apostle writes that ‘everything will be laid bare’, including the Trump mentality, the aims of Capitalism, the often ineffectiveness of the church, the futility of AI, the disastrous consequences of the Technological Society.
And me… what have I learned?
Perhaps a little patience and greater capacity for tolerance and forgiveness, and some insight into human folly and stupidity, including my own. I am looking forward to perfection in the New Creation, finally finding wisdom and discipline.