Lesson Lived - Lesson Learned

Monday morning I heard a song that was new to me. I don't know the title nor the artist, but the message was clear - his father taught him many lessons. One of the things mentioned in the song was how the family used to take an elderly lady to church each week. That message stirred my memories. My parents were married about the time World War II broke out. Times were tough. Jobs were scarce. For about eight years of married life they lived without owning an automobile. This is so impressive since during those years they moved seven times. During the war, among other things, dad taught Air Force cadets at Susquehanna University and worked on the Manhattan Project in Wilmington, Delaware. He also taught math and physics at Doylestown High School, New Cumberland High School and Elizabethtown College. He coached football and had to travel fall weekends to scout opposing teams. He had two young sons to support and all of this was done without an automobile. He spent considerable time walking and traveling by bus and train during those years. And, we never missed getting to church and weekly he had to carry groceries home by hand. All this was done without a car. Then, when I was in second grade, he purchased his first car, a Ford, from Garber Motors in Elizabethtown. Now we could drive to Harrisburg to go to church, three times a week. We could visit relatives and do many of the things we couldn't really do before. Then we moved to Lancaster where dad helped establish a new church. During the initial services, in a tent, we met an elderly lady, Mrs. Brenneman, who came to the services by bus. Dad told her that we could provide transportation for her and for many years we did that, each Sunday. During those years she lived in two different locations, neither of which were on our normal route to church. Later she moved to Lititz. Again we would take her to church, each week, even though it meant six of us squeezing into dad's car. Finally she was physically unable to come anymore. And the transportation stopped, but not for long. There was another lady who lived in Lititz, Mrs. Sturgis, who had formerly attended our denomination's church in Easton. She wanted to attend our church and once again the weekly transportation was provided by dad. But this situation was a little tougher - our family was growing up and needed more room. And Mrs. Sturgis was very overweight - and that is saying it as kindly as possible. In fact at one point she even broke the springs in our car. But I never heard dad complain. But what I do remember is that during these years he often said that the car wasn't his - it was the Lord's. He had struggled for many years without one until the Lord provided one for him. And he dedicated its use to the Lord, not just in name but in practice. That was true of all that my father and mother had. And they lived that way through the lean years as well as through the years of plenty. They continually thanked God for all that they had and they were always ready to use it for the Lord. Our home was always open to host missionaries, visiting speakers, and students. They provided meals and clothing to others. They hosted Bible clubs for children and they supported many ministries with their time and money. All that they had was the Lord's. And that is a lesson I hope that I too will practice and never forget. Lesson lived - lesson learned.