I think it's kind of amazing that within a day there can be several seasons of life.
One thing I didn't post from my friends last email, is about their sons upcoming bar mitzvah. A time for a huge party, family coming from all over the place to celebrate this rite of passage. I think it's lovely that despite outside circumstances God can still bless us with so much joy.
I remember when the intifadah had just started, I had only been in Israel for about 6 months by then, and I was consumed with a desire to know everything that was happening politically (etc) within the country and the city I was living in (Haifa), so we would listen for hours to the radio... and every so often I would look outside and be surprised to see people walking their dog, or returning from the market with bags of groceries, or washing their car. I thought how can they carry on?? We're in the midst of all this turmoil. But that's life isn't it. It doesn't stop, it will continue on and it's right and good to be able to go ahead and count the blessings around you, rather than dwell on the negative miserable things that are also going on all around. Not that we block out the negative, and pretend it's not there. But there is a time to mourn it then hand the situation over to God and move forward into blessing.
It's like those times for laughter with friends and family you meet at a funeral. This confliction. Mourning and laughter in the same breath, residing in the same heart... Life. Real life. Won't it be great when the time for mourning is over? When we are together in heaven enjoy the riches of God's kingdom with no more mourning, no more sadness, no more hurt. Experiencing love the way it was designed.... Someday, maybe soon :D
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Shalom dear friends,
I'd like to start by sharing a VERY significant personal lesson I've learned in the past few days through this war. Walk with great humility. God's hand is in this war - to respect our enemy and humbly bow before God and worship Him. We lift our heads high and think - "rockets won't fall on Haifa, Tiberius - no way!" Well they did - and they killed. Then I thought - "ah - we're safe in our little place, Ramat Yishai - no one's ever even heard of it - much less Hizbullah" but a rocket a few hundred meters a away jerked us out of that.
God's hand is in this war - walk and talk with great humility! We do not know how it will end - God does! We love Him and worship Him.
What about your life? What about the trees and house and sidewalk near you - how permanent are they?
Bar Mitzvah eh? Sounds interesting... I like the pictures alot.
yes, the big event for us is Nathanael's (our #2 son) Bar Mitzva - scheduled for this Sunday, he has learned to sing the whole chapter of Deuteronomy 6. Originally it was planned to be at a Congregation north of Haifa. This will now be held at a Congregation near Netanya. Faith's parents and sister and nephews have courageously joined us (from england) for the celebration.
I think it was Des that commented a few posts ago that "God laughs when we say, "I was planning..."" or at least something to that effect... so I was planning to go to Peru - but do to my unexpected surgery a few weeks ago, and the doctor not being sure that it actually solved whatever the problem is... I won't be going. So now my summer is wide open. Absolutely EVERYTHING that I had planned has fallen through.
What does God have up his sleeve I wonder. :D
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