August 29 Our Wedding Anniversary

Today is our 21^st Wedding Anniversary. I still receive email reminders that Kathie set up to be sent to our/her home email account. 

Recently, I had a discussion with a doctor that was part of a team that evaluated Kathie. His task was to estimate how long she would live, this took place 7 year ago and two different teams made their estimates. At the time it was very shocking to hear people talking about calculations and Kathie like a statistic. As we approach the 8^th anniversary of our accident on September 5, the time since the evaluations seems like ancient history. The stark answers given were 1-2 years and 3-4 years, numbers that didn’t hold up. One of the three surgeons that operated on Kathie said, “She could have died on the (surgical) table of any one of her multiple injuries, I personally believed that Kathie would pass away within 5 years of our accident but I have treated the year as day-by-day events. Today Kathie is in good health and she has recovered from the multiple internal injuries… all except the right brain injury. Last week we cut and colored Kathie’s hair and I sat next to her massaging her temples as she sighed.

From Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest on August 29, The Unsurpassed Intimacy of Tested Faith

Jesus said to her, ’Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’ —John 11:40

Every time you venture out in your life of faith, you will find something in your circumstances that, from a commonsense standpoint, will flatly contradict your faith. But common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense. In fact, they are as different as the natural life and the spiritual. Can you trust Jesus Christ where your common sense cannot trust Him? Can you venture out with courage on the words of Jesus Christ, while the realities of your commonsense life continue to shout, “It’s all a lie”? When you are on the mountaintop, it’s easy to say, “Oh yes, I believe God can do it,” but you have to come down from the mountain to the demon-possessed valley and face the realities that scoff at your Mount-of-Transfiguration belief (see Luke 9:28-42). Every time my theology becomes clear to my own mind, I encounter something that contradicts it. As soon as I say, “I believe ’God shall supply all [my] need,’ ” the testing of my faith begins (Philippians 4:19). When my strength runs dry and my vision is blinded, will I endure this trial of my faith victoriously or will I turn back in defeat?

Faith must be tested, because it can only become your intimate possession through conflict. What is challenging your faith right now? The test will either prove your faith right, or it will kill it. Jesus said, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” Matthew 11:6). The ultimate thing is confidence in Jesus. “We have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end . . .” (Hebrews 3:14). Believe steadfastly on Him and everything that challenges you will strengthen your faith. There is continual testing in the life of faith up to the point of our physical death, which is the last great test. Faith is absolute trust in God— trust that could never imagine that He would forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5-6).

Madison returned to SFSU to begin her junior year of college and Hannah begins her junior year of high school next week. 

 

I recognize our Anniversary, it takes me a few moments then I smile thinking of her comments, “you promised God that you would love me forevvver,” followed by her fake evil laugh. It is a Happy Anniversary of the day I married Kathie.

Blessings,

Dave and Kathie Jones