When Life is a Box of Chocolates

Forrest Gump: my mama always said 'life was like a box of chocolates you never know what you're going to get.  A mother’s break is a box of chocolates at times and for me it’s chocolate mochas.

I watched the old movie Forrest Gump a couple of days ago.  I’ve got free HBO for three months so I’m catching up on some movies I have not seen in a while. I enjoyed the nostalgia of my generation with the Black Panther Party, the flower children, and the Vietnam War vets.   It was neat thinking about the early part of my life as a young Christian at 19 years old in street evangelism in Washington D.C. right where much of that protesting took place. 

Our tent with 250 Christian evangelists was as big as a football field set up next to the Washington Monument.  We witnessed on the streets in the day and I was part of the team called the Vi-squad who picketed pornography shops on the weekends.  We were there during the war protestors and riots, with our long jean skirts and Bibles, saying, Jesus Loves You, when Nixon resigned.  I just walked into Starbucks last Saturday night for coffee with a date, and saw a woman in a jean skirt, I guess they are coming back in!

I remember the song by Barry McGuire, “Eve of Destruction” who later became a Christian and Buffalo Springfield, “For What It’s Worth.  Arthur Blessitt carrying his cross all over the world, and David Wilkerson wrote, “The Cross and the Switchblade” book from the heart of NYC that I read.  For my generation it was the unpopular Vietnam War and the cold war with Russia.  For this generation it’s the unpopular Iraq War, Jihad, North Korea and people taking out their anger shooting people with guns.

I always liked getting a honey baked ham for Christmas, my husband had a doctor friend that sent us many times a ham.  If God was giving out heart attacks and strokes in life than consider that practically every American man I met would have a heart attack by age 20 from all the illicit sex he had.  Besides, I’ve read God’s word and it says that “every perfect gift” comes from the father of lights who there is no shadow of turning. 

That does not sound like a perfect gift does it?

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!  Matthew 7:11

We have some examples in the Bible which is how men need to take better care of their body and that is in Ephesians.  James Dobson founder of Focus on the Family got a wakeup call early 40’s when he checked himself into a hospital and had to change his eating habits to sprouts, and some men get a wakeup call in life to slow down and take better care of their bodies and then in speaking to many widows, there was no pre-warning signs.  

In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—Ephesians 5:28-29

I was always trying to get my own husband to slow down in life, wear sunscreen when he went golfing and boating, and quit pushing himself so hard.  When he would eat ice cream, I told him he should not be eating ice cream with his mother’s heart problems and he just told me, “I will die happy.”  Well I am glad at least my husband died a happy man in life.   I could not control him, and I’ve not met a man who can be controlled yet to live or eat right.

I had made a comment on Facebook how pastors are the worst offenders when their wife dies and usually the first to get remarried and sometimes within a one year limit that all counselors say to wait at least one year, but God told me I need to cut pastors some slack (to allow someone to do something that is not usually allowed, or to treat someone less severely than is usual).   

Like me, those pastors could not take time off to lay around the house, but they had to feed the flock of God.  I took off two weeks from work when my husband had a heart attack, and then I had a daughter who was a senior in private Christian high school and a five-year old grandson I was guardian of so I was back at work right away.  There are no breaks for pastors and there was no breaks for a mother.  Older widows told me this was good in my life to keep going.   For many of us in life, we keep going no matter what happens sort of like the Energizer bunny.

I’ve turned down probably around 50 men who smoke through online dating sites or with heart problems and I asked the Lord, “God I know there are no warranty policies out there for men, but am I am being too sensitive?”  The Lord assured me that, “No, there is nothing wrong with wanting a man to finish the race close in life.”

That is really what it is all about anyway for widows.  They get upset because they did not get to go down with the captain of their Titanic ship.  I can’t speak for those never married, but the battle for a widow is they want to go down with the captain.  Watch the movie Forrest Gump and look at Lieutenant Dan who lost his legs.  It is the will to live.  He wanted to go down with the pontoon in Vietnam, but Forrest saved his life so he was angry.  As the co-captain who wants to be left with a marooned ship in life?

Lt. Dan is at the top of the shrimp boat in a bad storm, and he is shaking his fists at God for God to come get him.  We don’t like being left behind (if they are honest with you).  Infatuation is “I got to have this,” where love is “I want to be with them.”  It is a choice that I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I want to join you in heaven.  Not only that, when Jesus comes back, who wants to be left behind on this cursed planet?  It talks about the wrath of God being poured out.  We are currently under the grace of God.

Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Matthew 24:40

I believe that as part of the latter rain was the Jesus movement and the Azusa Street Revival and we are still in that latter rain.  The early rain was the movement with the early Apostles.

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. James 5:7

So in being left behind, it’s finding God’s purpose in leaving us that we did not to go with our captain.  There will come a day for many left behind during the tribulation that they will have to find God’s purpose during their tribulation times too.

and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. Thess. 1:10

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thess. 5:9

I was at a single’s retreat and I was upset that a couple was giving their testimony about how they were in a 35-year marriage and I asked God, “Why can’t I do that and brag about how you gave me a 35-year marriage?”  Than the Lord spoke to my heart and he said, “You are a forerunner of every married couple.  Like John outran Peter to the grave you have outran this couple, only John did it willingly, and you did not. The tomb is empty and your husband will rise again.”