Job was a man who had much and lost almost all that he had. The only things that Job retained were his life and his integrity. Job longed for the days of old, when all of his children were around him. Like Job, I have lost a great deal (not as much as Job) and I long for the days of old, when all of my children were around me.
The past year has been very difficult and lonely. It seems that one calamity after another has occurred in our lives. I have felt very lonely and disconnected from the covenant community which is my local church; however, I have found solace in the Word and in church history. Studying the Scriptures is good but one cannot discount just sitting and listening to the Word. I study the Word but in my morning devotion I just read the Word in the vulgar (my native tongue) and just listen to the Word of the Lord. On my days off from work I like to read history. My wife says it is because I am a nerd but that really is not the truth. I like to read history because it brings me close to the Universal Church. I like knowing the persons who came before us; who they were, what they thought, what they did and why they did it.
Jesus said, The great and foremost commandment is to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind. The second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Mt 22:37-39) And he said to his disciples before going to the cross: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Jn 13:34-35)
I long for community in the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. I do not mean socialization but community. In my local area we have seen disaster. We were without electrical power on the coldest day in the history of this area. During the past week we have endured two large snow storms. We have not had running water since Wednesday morning but the community has been helping one another in a great time of need. The local churches in Whitehouse, Texas are delivering bottled water to homes and helping those in need. I long for the days of old but I love my community.
In Christ alone,
Michael Peek
The Nurse Theologian
