
Keeping God’s word in our hearts can come out of our daily spiritual practices. As we daily strive to have God’s word be a part of our lives, we come to realize that this spiritual pilgrimage is not a one-time event but an everyday one over a person’s lifetime. Jesus said that when we keep his word that we will be loved and that the Lord God and Jesus will make their home with us. Having them make their home with us can be a very comforting thought.
When my late wife, Judy, and I got married we really needed their presence with us. Beside the normal issues that confront young married couples we had several others thrown in. When we got married, I was still working full time in the steel mill and both of us were taking college courses.
A significant challenge that we faced was that we were from different faith traditions and ethnic backgrounds. She was raised in a Roman Catholic home, and both her parents were from the Italian heritage. I grew up in an American Baptist Church and my heritage was mostly African-American. We got married at a time when this type of marriage was not accepted as it is today.
Despite these differences, we both were very involved in our church traditions, and had a growing faith as children of God. We had faith that God was with us and would dwell with us, and this helped us through many difficult periods in our married lives.
Our life was far from perfect, but our faith in God helped us grow to have more faith in each other. Looking back with what we faced when we started out makes me realize that without the Lord dwelling with us, I am not sure we would have made it. When Judy passed away, we had been married for more than twenty-eight years.
All of us have times in our lives when we are not sure if we can make it another day. Please be encouraged to keep the word of God in your heart through taking part in your spiritual practices. This may not keep you from all of the problems in your life, however knowing that you are loved and that you will not be alone, might help you make it another day! Peace. Vernon T.
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