without a cause

It was a simple Face Book game-- What old western outlaw are you?  Some of the outlaws were not familiar to me, but the one I came up with was.  Billy the Kid: Rebel with out a cause.
"I'm thinking of going to preaching school," my husband lobbed the subject out into the air one day when I least expected it.

"No," I said, "I don't think that's a good idea.  I can't see me as a preacher's wife, and I doubt anyone else would either, besides.... "
To say I was taken by surprise would be an understatement.    We had been married maybe three years.  We lived in a large early 1900's two story farmhouse situated at the end of a long lane.  Having been farming for most of our three years of married life I couldn't imagine selling out and leaving for parts unknown. 

Preaching school?  No, no. Someone has this scenario wrong...I'm sure I don't fit into people's regular mold of a preacher's wife...but indeed my husband persisted--once he gets an idea in his head it seems it's hard to change the course.

Many years later it is still one of best decisions we have made.  We learned many things, saw many new sights, made a variety of friends.  Looking into the future from back in the 1970's we could never have forseen the many paths we would travel--what a blessing that was.

Matthew 6:34  "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

How many times have I wished I could look into the future 'just enough to know--is this a wise choice?', however, we aren't given that option.  Truly we don't want to be in control of our future to that degree.  It is best when we acknowledge the wisdom of God, and leave the panorama of the future events to his arrangement. 

Ecclessiastes 6:12  "For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?"

Our lives here are short compared to eternity, and what do we accomplish?  Love, hate, good, evil, these cycles happen many times in this life.  Stress- how many times do we feel the squeeze of the stress from this life?  It can come at any time, from many different areas.

  Ecclessiastes 11:10  "Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity."

Many is the time older people sigh and say, "Oh, to be young again.  To be young again, and not have all these sorrows and burdens."  How soon they forget the stress of being young.  Of being at an age when choices are setting them up for the sorrows and burdens of being older.  It is at that young age when they are often not wise enough to make decisions, but they do any way.

And young people are sighing to be older.  Enough has been said to young people, telling them to enjoy being worry free.  I wouldn't impress them with enjoy being worry free.  I would tell them to get their life in order first with God.  If you get that step right, the rest of the steps will be much easier, and although you will still more than likely make a few turns that you will need to make U turns from, they should not be serious blunders. 

Ecclesiastes 12:13  "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14)  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."

No, I probably will never fit into someone's mold of how I should look, act, feel, or many other pegs.  I will probably always be that rebel but not a rebel without a cause.  Our cause is set out in the scriptures:

Romans 5:8  "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9)  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10)  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
                                                         Halalujah! What a Savior!