Green Beans

Yesterday I had a revelation as I was on the back deck pitting cherries.  Yes, that’s right, I was cutting beautiful black Bing cherries in half and digging out the pits so that my wife could make some homemade cherry ice cream.  I had to wash my hands five times before the purple stains were gone!  Anyway, my revelation was about how our lives have slowed down because of the Covid crisis.  I remember years ago sitting with my Granny Whitely under the spreading beech tree stringing and snapping green beans.  Some of you have never prepared green beans from scratch.  You thought that green beans came in a tin can.  But back in a former time, you picked fresh green beans out of the garden, pulled off the strings on both sides of the beans, snapped them into three or four pieces, and dropped them into a pot of cold water.  Then a generous hunk of fat-back bacon, cooking down for an hour or so, and it was time to eat!  There was so much wisdom shared under that huge beech tree by Granny Whitely.  I learned about life and love, and losses and the good Lord’s faithfulness.  Wonderful memories.  The apostle Paul recalled memories of his young protégée, Timothy learning Bible truths from his family.  Paul said in II Timothy 1:5, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”  When we have a Godly family, we can stand on their shoulders and accomplish more for God.  And if you don’t, you can start a Godly family for your children.