Whate're Befall me...

It was Sunday morning at Fellowship Bible Church in Manchester New Hampshire. Church had just concluded, and my older siblings and I watched with eagerness as the deacons set up the wooden choir stands on the stage.  None of us ever wondered why they set them up after church, though now, I still muse over it, maybe so that they could have choir rehearsals during the week. Maybe I was too young at the time and missed some obvious connection. But, we didn't worry about that, all we saw were the stands being set up, and we knew, that just as soon as the church cleared out, we were going to have fun!  Thankfully for us, it took an hour to get to church, so naturally we were the last ones to leave, giving us no worry that we would clear out before the church did!  ~  As soon as the coast was clear, Timothy, the acknowledged leader led his three sisters up the steps and on to the stands. Each of us had one all to ourselves; we were going to sing to our imaginary audience. We were going to be the Hellwig quartet!  Just as we were about to begin, a lady friend of ours, Mrs. Shuler, walked up and asked us what we were going to sing. "All the Way My Savior Leads Me."  Was Arianne's quick response. She was the spokes person in the group, being that she was the least shy of all of us!  "I Love that song!" Was our friend's response, "How about, I'll be the conductor."  To this, we agreed, and started to sing, although, in my characteristically shy manner, I nearly backed out of it when I saw the pastor and his wife watching us along with Mommy and Daddy and the rest of the "stragglers!"  But the other three were already singing and my dissenting voice was lost in their's so there was nothing for it but to sing, and sing I did! In fact, we sang so well and always knew the words to the songs we sang every time we decided to "have choir", that mommy got a few calls asking if we could join the children's choir...which, she politely declined!
   
   To this day, I and many of my siblings know all the words to that song perfectly, as well as the words to most of the other hymns I know. This has been marveled at by many and people wondered how we could do it! The answer - We sang without the hymnbook!  Mommy had the hymnbook, but none of us did. Every morning, after breakfast, we sang a hymn together and if we didn't know the song yet, we followed along as best we were able. In a few days, we knew the song. The more songs we learned, the better we got at learning them. The more verses to a song we knew, the more eager we were to learn the rest!
   This was a great lesson for me later on down the road. It was such a blessing to know all those songs. Even though, at the time, I just followed with out realizing the meaning and I sure wished I had a hymnbook, what I couldn't understand at the time ended up having greater implications for me later on!
    
   Now, as this year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, becomes a time of the past, and the new year unveils itself with all the glory of an unmarked slate, I see before me a time of preparation. A time of hard work and a lot of expenses (that's college incarnate!) a time of doing things that may not benefit me now, but will set up my life for later on, besides which, giving me joy in my life right now! Because, the greatest joy comes not in doing what we want but what we ought!

   Now, I know the truth of that hymn I mouthed as a little five or six year old:
                      "For I know, what  e'er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well!"
                                                and,
                          "This my song through endless ages, Jesus led me all the way!"

Of course we can't forget the second verse, which is my personal favorite! We always put extra emphasis on the word "Gushing!" It always made me think of a wild, raging, out of control, glorious waterfall, and my heart would soar into the skies when we reached that line!

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