The Bungee Cord 8-10-21

The Bungee Cord .8-10-21

Hello,

The reason that the Bungee Cord is a day late is that I was out of town Sunday and Monday. My wife and I went to a small town in Pennsylvania, Lititz, to celebrate our 40th anniversary. I told my wife as we were reminiscing, “It is hard to remember 40 years ago. We were so young.”

Kate, my wife, said back to me, “We were!”

We were. In our young twenties. Youth-ly overconfident. Completely oblivious to all that lay in front of us. We were married in a small church in Chicora, Pennsylvania. Who would have guessed all that we have added to our lives over these 40 years? Nine moves into unfamiliar environments, making new friends, leaving friends behind. 3 sons, unique in their own ways, challenging us with helping them shine for who they are. Celebrations aplenty. Disappointments to be sure. Surprises that lit up the sky like fireworks, and surprises that turned the lights off like electrical storms. Hopes and dreams realized. Hopes and dreams lost. Laughter. Crying.

I have come to believe that long and mutually upbuilding marriages are as much luck as they are the product of hard work. What I mean by that is, who really knows who they are and what kind of resiliency one has when they are in their early 20’s. Who knows what the most important things are to look for in a person to marry when you’re still trying to figure that out in your own life? As I think about my marriage of 40 years, I feel less inclined to brag, and much more inclined to be thankful…..thankful for a wife that has been willing to grow with me, and thankful for a God who has held our hearts in his transforming grace and mercy every day along the way.

I wrote a song for our wedding based on Isaiah 55:12,13. Here’s the text:

“You shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace

The mountains and hill before you shall sing.

And the trees of the field shall all rise and dance

For I, the Lord, am with you in the joining of your hands

And I’ll walk along with you in the freshness of the spring

I’ll walk along with you when the summer sun gets hot.

I’ll walk along with you in the gentle autumn breeze

And even in the winter when the world turns cold and grey,

I’ll walk along with you and make it spring again.

And you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace

The mountains and hill before you shall sing

And the trees of the field shall all rise and dance

For I, the Lord am with you in the joining of your hands

And I’ll walk along with you.

I’ll walk along with you

I’ll walk along.

For I, the Lord, have promised you, you’re always in my care.

I’ll walk along with you

And shower you with love.

And you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace

The mountains and hill before you shall sing

And the trees of the field shall all rise and dance

For I, the Lord, am with you in the joining of your hands

Oh, I, the Lord, am with you in the joining of your hands.” (copyright 1981)

Thank you, Lord.

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger