My new life and a better hope
The funny thing about this is I felt all along God was saying, "You're going to have to trust me on this one." (About everything.) I didn't see it, still don't, but I trust Him. That's the theme of my new life. Going beyond that, over the past few months it's like something broke open in me, something unexpected and beautiful. There is growth, and then there is whatever God is doing. Maybe this is the breakthrough for which I've been praying. Recognizing God is in control of my life and what comes my way — good or bad — is for a purpose is incredibly freeing.
One of the biggest problems is hanging onto progress. (Part of that is forgetfulness. I have a bad memory, but the devil loves to remind me after the fact.) I had setbacks. Won’t lie. I don't focus on those. God tells me to move on, don't keep track of my failings once they are confessed (as they no longer exist), keep going, and that we have work to do. Recently, God showed me what was preventing me from hanging on to progress. If He has something more down the road for me, I will surely keep the progress gained.
God honored my intentions in coming here. I can't explain all the ways God provided and opened doors and made it clear the direction I was to go. My new life is good. Not perfect, but I can't complain. Haven't experienced a Nebraska spring in a while. Summer was something else. The heat was almost therapeutic. I haven't had a real summer in almost a decade. I like the trees here. It isn't all ponderosa, spruce, aspen, and birch. It's trees like this, which are quite beautiful. The light green contrasts well with other trees. Also, I noticed a lot of marijuana, even in people's backyards. We called it ditch weed back in the day. I guess you can smoke marijuana legally now. I have no idea. Maybe you have to go to Colorado. I walked by a couple of ladies at a little-kid swimming hole recently and smelled skunk, which I realized was them smoking marijuana and not an actual skunk. (I'm a little slow.) Maybe that explains their foul mouths, too. Hey, maybe don't talk to your kids like that.
Now a brief interlude about Cindy, who is perhaps the only reason people read here. What about that? She is not in my life. Unrelated to that, God said I had to adjust how I appraise her. When you are talking about a woman who is easily the most amazing woman you have ever known, it is easy to get stuck on the superlatives and lose track of her humanity. She wasn’t an idol in my heart, but sometimes I gave her too much credit for what God did. She is a lovely and godly Proverbs 31 woman deserving of much praise (nothing wrong with that). Saying complimentary things about her is okay. I felt God gave me insight into her heart and mind, perhaps to see what He can do with a willing heart. She is a godly woman who is doing what God told her to do. She is beyond reproach in that regard. I apologize if I depicted her in any other light. I admire her greatly, and not only because I have feelings for her. The right thing can be hard, but she does it, regardless. She really is something special. Why didn’t we ever get a chance? Circumstances weren’t right and timing wasn’t right. I can speculate about other reasons, but those I know. Sometimes we don't get to know. My door was always open to her and likely always will be. I hope she at least remembers with fondness the unique soul who loved her.
God used my feelings for Cindy to deal with my issues and put me on my knees. He did the same in the past with my son and others I care about. How hard do you pray when your child is sick or in the hospital? It was part of the refining process. Why does God use the things we love most to get our attention? Maybe it's your job. A person. Your kids. Why He uses those to get us into a better place with Him only He knows. That's part of the reason there was such a struggle on these pages. In many ways, knowing her made me a better man. God used it for His purposes, regardless of the outcome. If ever given a good chance to be in her life again, I would proceed humbly and prayerfully. Pretty much how I approach everything now.
A lot of growth was due to simple obedience. God brought things to my attention to deal with, and I did. I stumble and fall. We are talking about things that were in my life a long time. They were security-blanket sins. God said He is my refuge, not these things. He is the one Who should be my security blanket, the one I go to when I'm falling apart. I made a ton of headway and noticed I'm not a bare nerve like I was. I'm more confident and unruffled when things go awry. I have bad days and fail (though they don't seem as bad), but I get up and recommit. Maybe that’s grit. Or desperation. Also noticed less focus on my needs and more on the needs of others, which I owe to my needs actually being filled by God and His Word instead of by things that mask unmet needs. It's up to us how far we go with God. We have to agree to join hands and walk. I'm doing my best to do that. When we walk with Him, everything is changeable and anything is possible. Back to the regularly scheduled broadcast.
We all have a wound. We are supposed to take it to God. It's possible we could take it to the enemy instead, but that is inadvisable. God can do so much with our frailties, wounds, and failures. I learned it is best to give everything to God. Also, the corn is amazing here. This was the Fourth of July. The old saying goes, "Knee-high by the Fourth of July." Well, this was a bit taller.
Now, I will talk about my son. He's all I have. He, too, made progress. I don't take photos of much except him. Since I'm on call 24/7, and have been since February, I can't go far away. Maybe half an hour away. So I visited little towns nearby just to get out. Towns like Riverdale. The Fourth of July parade in Gibbon (home of the buffaloes) was the biggest parade I've ever seen. It was more than an hour long and the floats kept coming. Best parade I've seen in years. And very generous with the candy.
I have a feeling this is a sight I'm going to be seeing the next 11 years. Chasing my son around. Once he gets his own car, I probably won't have to chase him around as much. He'll be involved in things, most likely. His favorite sport is basketball right now, but he doesn't seem to be much for sports. He's super bright, a lot brighter than I was at his age, and he reads voraciously. He read about 200 books over summer break. The way he talks is not the conversational level of your average 2nd grader, either. Who knows what will end up being his passion.
This post is kind of patched together observations. Not a masterpiece. Anyway, we have wildlife here. Saw one deer in the suburbs (Rolling Hills area). I saw turkeys, and they frequented a spot I used to run because it had mulberries. I like mulberries, too. Seeing turkeys on pavement (never saw that before) and not deer in town is strange. Not being able to hunt said turkeys is even weirder. For some reason I don't feel like hunting.
We've just been living life. Nothing big and grand. Doing life. That's what people do here. People raise their families and watch their kids grow up. It's a breeding ground for white people. Haha. Okay, some other ethnicities too. Mostly white people, though. Lots of college students. The girls don't seem to wear much. I asked God to change change my heart or how I see women, and I feel that's been an area of improvement. It’s fine to acknowledge someone but not to keep looking for one’s satisfaction. I wasn't being lustful, I don't think, but now I have a fail-safe. A lot changed over the last few months. It's funny how fast things change once we get to a place where we simply obey. I think the security-blanket sins were preventing me from adequately hearing God, and now that I can hear His voice better, progress is faster.My son still likes playgrounds. Here we were in Elm Creek (also the home of the buffaloes). He tries to act like an adult but still likes to have fun like a kid. Pretty typical only-child. Sadly, I think his behavioral issues boil down to a hard heart. A hard heart will block progress, spiritual or otherwise. It could be unforgiveness is at the root of a hard heart, but it almost always comes down to a hard heart when there is disobedience. And I can apply that to my life, as well. (More on that in a future post.) God calls out a hard heart. It prevents obedience and, thus, blessings.
I've seen a few people I haven't seen for many years. (Here I was with one of my best friend's sisters.) Probably most people live close to where they grew up. I lived in a few different states, but I'm no world traveler. It's good to see these people. It's a reminder not everyone was mean to me.
One of my son's favorite things was to go to his school playground and he would do an "obstacle course," which was always pretty impressive. I don't think I could do those things when I was his age. We also rode our bikes. My ex didn't have a bike until I found one someone threw away at the side of the road. It was a great bike, better than mine. So, she can go on bike rides with him, too. He liked to go down the overpass. One time they even biked to my apartment. And then biked back. That was an epic day. I just sat and watched TV. That's about all I do anymore. Well, and pray and ready my Bible and fast and pray some more and sometimes eat. And do word puzzles. And take surveys on my phone.
My son reads a lot. It's about the only thing that seems to calm him. He's pretty hyperactive. But, he can sit and read for hours by himself. Otherwise, expect a constant broadcast from his brain.
People here are different. I'm glad to work with and play with and live near the people I do. I wondered why God put me where I am. Why this apartment? Why this town? Why this job? I ask about it and He says to pray. Pray for those around me. That's the most good we can do. Cindy taught me you can pray when you hear a siren (I did sometimes but now all the time) because you never know whose life you can reach in that moment. Pray for their healing, their salvation, whatever it is they need. Ask God to fill their need and touch the lives of those around them. May God be glorified. The little kids in my apartment complex I added to my prayers. One boy who lives below me has had all kinds of trouble. His grandma fills me in. It's insane what kind of abuse this kid is taking from the enemy. I pray god intercedes in his life.
It's nice there is a movie theater here, so instead of having to drive an hour to watch a movie in a theater, I can go a mile. Not that I'm a movie buff. But, some movies are better in a theater. And, you can even recline your seat and take a nap if the movie isn't that great. Don't forget your blanket. Don't want to spend the money on a movie but want a show? You can drive by one of the two water towers in town (a third is under construction) and enjoy a neat light show! Yeah, they light up. Heck yeah, lights.
I don't know what my kid is going to do when he grows up. I tried to instill obedience to God, parents, and authority figures because I know he'll need that and it's the right thing to do. Obeying parents is a commandment with a promise. Do it and things will go well with you and you'll have a long life. Will my kid play sports? He'll need to learn how to listen and obey and play by the rules. Will he own a business? Same thing. Work for an employer? Yes, it all applies. Right now we are laying the building blocks. I pray diligently he builds his life well. I won't always be here. Sometimes, God uses the most important people in our lives to teach us things about ourselves. It really turns a mirror on yourself when you hear God's words to you coming out of your mouth to someone else. As in, are you listening?
There are more than two seasons here. And my favorite season is almost here! I love fall! I haven't experienced a fall in Nebraska since 1996. I'm going to love watching all the leaves change and to feel the crispness in the air. And football and all that. Does it get any better? And now the pictures don't match the text. You're on your own.
Some odd things I noticed. People like their cookie-cutter homes. It took me a while to confidently navigate the streets because all the houses look the same and you have the same addresses but different streets in some parts of town. You can be at 1209 on one street, go another street over and be at 1209. I've been on the corner of W 39th and W 39th streets. That makes no sense. Also, people enjoy getting close to one another’s tailgates. Like, you can literally go around if you feel the need to go faster. I have to drive slow for my job because I’m looking for things and also because my truck is a POS and may fall apart if I go fast. Go ahead and race to that red light. I won't stop you.
Also, right of way is a strange concept to many. The person who arrives to an intersection first goes ahead first. If two cars arrive at the same time, the car to your right goes ahead first. There, now y’all know. I have to let others go first while in my work truck, at least that’s what they tell me. A lot of people seem to do the same. Not a bad thing. Just weird.
I’ve seen some cool vehicles in this town. Hot rods, rat rods, restorods, whatever. Some Maseratis. (One pickup even had three exotic birds in the bed. No, they weren't in a cage.) Keeps things interesting. Always wanted a sports car, but now I don’t care. It would be nice to have something larger and more comfortable, but God told me to wait. God knows best. Even if we wonder why, and even if everything in our lives tells us the opposite. God spoke to me about taking refuge in things like this blog. He is my refuge. Also, I shouldn’t give this space too much credit for helping me move forward. It was all Him. This was just a place where I documented that fact. (And kind of flailed about like I was riding the struggle bus for 4.5 years. But that's another thing. I may be dumb, but at least I'm teachable.)
I'm a baby-stepper. I don't comprehend huge leaps and bounds because they are overwhelming. I have to see small progress is possible, then I gain confidence to move forward. Imagine holding the hand of someone like me. And then imagine that person eventually taking big leaps. That's what happened. How did I get here? Baby steps? Lots of slipping and falling? God? All of the above, but mostly God. He can change anything and anyone, even me. God honored what He told me before I moved here. It ended up being more than expected. I have no reason to believe He won't continue the work He started. What I see in myself is new and exciting. I'm calmer. My outlook is different. God put peace in me. He has everything handled. Look at what He's done! The chiefest of sinners trying with all his might to live for God? Who would have imagined dear, old Joshua is sitting clothed and in his right mind after all the hell he went through? How did God bring me through all that? It was a miracle. I'm here, on the other side, and I'm alive and praising Him. Life is different. God showed me things I am hard-pressed to explain and gave the gift of starting over. No wonder I was fought so hard. Who knows what's coming next? It doesn't matter because God got me through a million storms. I learned so many lessons, but the greatest one is God loves me. Me! He loves me! Are you kidding? How lucky am I? I was the picture of neglected, abused, rejected, and traumatized in the past. God showed me I'm not that person. I'm the object of His affection, accepted in the beloved, wrapped up in unconditional agape love, and destined to spend eternity with the Creator of the universe and Lover of my soul. I'm the luckiest man alive. That just made me cry. Thank you to anyone who followed this blog for any length of time. You probably didn't understand what you were reading, and I certainly didn't understand what I was going through, but now we are at the end, it's a beautiful thing.
***
The end, you say? When it began, I hoped this blog would document my journey from the pain of divorce and the realization of my abusive childhood to a new, better world. While I was writing this post, I realized it achieved that. I am in a new, better world. God got me here. It doesn't look how I imagined, but I can't deny it happened. (Sorry, the insipid posts about Fleetwood Mac (Go Your Own Way) and Justin Timberlake (Can't Stop the Feeling) won't see the light of day.) Maybe just bookmark this page and come back to it in a while. Or don't. The journey continues, of course. Consider this the official end, though I will likely still post about the girl I love. Already thinking about one. I am semi-retired from writing here. (Doubtful I can resist writing about Cindy, but it is increasingly difficult to write about someone who I don't have contact with.) If you stuck in here the last four and a half years or so, pat yourself on the back. (This began Jan. 28, 2018, and this is post number 575, and, by the way, we somehow got nearly 18,000 hits.) It was a wild ride. Unfortunately, God took me to task on the function of this blog. It became a refuge for my soul, which is something God is to be. I am radically changed since beginning this blog, and even from a year ago. All I want is to pray, read my Bible, and pray more. (And occasionally play Solitaire on my phone.) I even go to church now. All that time with God bore fruit. Now, I really just want to please God. My hopes and dreams are in Him. The biggest change was not in my circumstances but in me. This blog details my love of God and second to Him, Cindy. I (to use perhaps my most overused word besides I) clearly love them both. I love God with everything I have. I powerfully loved Cindy from a distance for over 5 years. That love grew, but I loved her ever since I can remember. Probably always will. You may ask what my next step is. What does the future hold for Joshua? Whatever God has planned. Now some final words.
I started a new blog and leave a link below. Always wanted to end this blog with a photo of me and Cindy. Isn't she pretty? The context isn't what was imagined, but the sentiment remains. I was blessed with a wonderful night with her this year. It was a dream come true. She is beyond a doubt the most quality woman I’ve ever known. Never known anyone like her. She is precious to me. The time spent with her is something I will carry with me the rest of my life. The conversations we had over the years still echo in my soul. The example she lives as a Christian is something I admire. I am deeply grateful she was in my life as long as she was. She is always welcome in my life. I truly enjoyed writing about her. Look back through these pages and you'll see my love for her was consistent. She is the strongest, most beautiful woman I know. I miss her and hope she is well. I hope we are friends again someday. I changed a lot over the last 4.5-plus years. (Wow. Spent a tenth of my life writing this blog.) Who knows how I will change in another 4.5-plus years. Maybe there will be a spark between us if we ever meet again. (Or perhaps she'll wonder what happened to me and read this in a year or 10.) That would be nice. I pray she doesn’t forget about me and she chooses to remember the best things about me. Perhaps, after some time has passed, she will see a fondness grow for me that wasn't there before. My desire is she remembers me with kindness, at least.
It may seem I was fixated on some themes. A lot was hyperbole and wasn’t meant for a large audience. I’m actually a normal man! The post about the prodigal son is forthcoming, but we'll save it for the new blog, which will expound upon matters of faith. Here is my new blog: a-better-hope.blogspot.com The bulk of my effort will go to the new blog until I figure out what to do with this space. I'm sure inspiration will strike. God did a lot of work on me the last few years and especially the last year. I matured. It wasn't easy. It's unbelievable how far I've come, and the greatest lesson is God did it. Can't wait to see what He does next. This is quite a milestone. I'm on the other side!
***
When I read Judge Gently, it put into perspective what I was doing with this blog. I didn't hide anything. My sin and frailties were out there for everyone to see. Writing this wasn't meant to make me look good. It made me look like a buffoon and an unhinged child at times. This is where my garbage was dumped. (Along with a whole lot of prose about a girl, which really didn't belong with the garbage.) I humbly began writing here in a moment of great hurt and end in a better place. Don't judge a man who is down today because tomorrow God may lift him up. I humbled myself before the Almighty tens of thousands of times over the timespan of writing here. I didn't do that to be holy. I did it because I was in trouble, hurting, lost, and had questions. God is faithful. He was found every time.
Been sick for about a month now. In that time I was attacked heavily by the enemy. My son, too. He even got nosebleeds, which is often a sign of witchcraft attacks. Never seen him get nosebleeds. Hard to explain those battles. Someone even called the cops on me while I was doing my job (I did nothing wrong), which never happened in my life. Yelled at me, detained me (essentially kidnapped me), threatened me, called me names, and then the cops came and let me go. There is great spiritual pressure on us, and I asked God where it's coming from. I have so many questions, but God says I don't need to know everything. Just accept His peace. I think when you take a stand spiritually, you're going to pay a price. In the past I paid dearly and expect the same for the future. Amazing I'm still standing. God must still have a purpose for me. Last year the enemy tried to kill me at least twice (on my birthday and when I repeatedly blacked out and fell in December, sustaining a mild concussion). As I write this, I was nearly in a car accident today. The attacks will continue. I've never seen such a laid-back person have so much thrown at them from so many angles, and it's never one or two things at once; more like 10. The only thing that can protect me is God, and He allows some of it for His purposes. You may ask why someone would willingly put themselves in harm's way by continuing to attack the enemy. First of all, I love Jesus and want to please Him. (He came to destroy the works of the enemy.) There is no second point. I still try to fast one day a week, which is something I began years ago. More out of desperation than anything else. My child is sick again but in a different way and after he was sick for so long before. It makes me so mad. Stop messing with my kid!
God's hand is heavy on me. I'm still appalled by how I handled disappointments a while ago, as well as shocked by my own reaction, but I forgive myself. Even from a month ago I've grown. I don't take things anywhere but Jesus. My prayer life blossomed more. I've grown in patience, which God was teaching me for years. I can see the fruit of that now and will continue to grow. Things that would have riled me up weren't even much of a concern. I'm more apt to let things go. I handed so many things to the Lord that I was left with only peace in my own hands. And I think that's a good way to end this. God is faithful. I strive to be.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading, as always. And God bless.
My Tumblr. (fixed the broken link)
New blog: a-better-hope.blogspot.com
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