#1968

 

Perishing or Permanent

"I have lived in sight of the ocean

Where the water runs into land

I have walked on the beach in the morning

And left my tracks in the sand

But musical waves have been calling

And the ocean is so wide and vast

That I've struck for the silver horizon

And put out to sea at last."

            Most people think we live in a real world of virtual reality. About the time you are ready to relax, a "robo-call," a marketing scheme rivals in our daily news digestion only by fake news. What a world my great-granddaughter will inherit. The internet is the backbone of the world's economy. The great writer, C.S. Lewis, said that "prosperity knits a person to the world."

            This blind Veteran, in his 87th year, having lived the struggle of poverty and every other challenge, which I believe has made me a better man. Now, living in a world of blackness for over 50 years, can state without any reluctance that it has been persistence in the face of darkness that has proven to me every day of my life faith is better than sight.

            Your writer has never known the thrill of holding a golf club...hitting a golf ball. Even when young, your writer was never good with any type ball...baseball/football/basketball. I was never one of the boys chosen for a team, I never wore a ball uniform, never a wearer of a school athletic letter. I never got a concussion from football, never excited any cheerleader, never shuffled any cards at a poker game; BUT, I was chosen. God chose me for life, chose me to live in a poor, but blessed home, a home anointed by God-fearing, hard-working, tax-paying parents. No matter how hard my parents worked in the field that day, if their children were involved in something in school that night, they put on their Sunday clothes and were there. These are precious memories, permanent memories, not perishing memories.

            The greatest of things that my parents taught me were priorities. Priorities are permanent. They guide your life. Show me a man's priorities, a man's habits/routine (and I will tell you much about the man). This is not a perfect man talking to you. Satan wanted me. I have two fine, straight-as-arrows, grandsons...one a lawyer, the other an engineer. I have told their seminary professor father that God alone knows how much Satan wanted MY father, me, him, and certainly my grandsons. It is so essential to put up a permanent, non-perishing "firewall" for Christ-centered belief when young. And, Satan does not leave you alone once you become old...he likes old people too. The greatest tragedy in my mind, was to meet an old-mannered woman, sunset of life...not yet prepared for death; and yet, when perishing, the thief on the right side of our precious Lord on the cross, so many on the death bed, God is always willing to make their salvation permanent...whether they have ever given one penny, or done one thing towards his works on Earth.

            With an abundance of food everywhere, we live in a world of starving people...starved for wholesome nutrition, starved for love (I am told that a baby will die if not loved); yet, our streets are filled with children of foster homes, children who are abused by their own parents or by foster parents. Electric power is in the line. You must plug into the source of power to get the benefits of electricity. Unless you plug into the source of power, you can stay in darkness forever. Unless you use available food, you can starve to death.

            This world traveler (Dr. Morris has been around the world 8 times, passport stamped in 157 countries) was in Thailand, in a village of desperately poor people; so many children. A concert pianist from San Francisco was in Bangkok, and asked if he could join my group on our excursion that day. He was an old man, overweight, but had never experienced the plight of anguished children, as had this writer, all over the world. In spite of everything, you learn not to give out anything. This man had some candy in his pocket, that he had the problem of munching on. All the beautiful, poor children who had never had a piece of candy until he began giving it out. In just a few minutes time, he was down on the ground having his clothing picked cleaned by children wanting his candy; we all had to rescue him.

            In the old family church, built by my great-grandparent in 1874, I often heard this old hymn "rescue the perishing, care for the dying." I do believe that God wanted me to sense the world. Though blind eyes could not see it, but I can sense it. I could smell the many scents from Markets. Is it not truly remarkable that a poor boy from impoverished Eastern, NC, graduate from a small country school (13 in grad class), work his way through eight years of university education to become a doctor with several advanced degrees, and then travel the world, even been asked to talk about it at some places, and then have the blessing to be able to write about it, AND I actually have the thrill of hearing some of my articles read on international short-wave radio. Truly, a perishing world needs the permanence of a divine savior. keep Satan from getting you. He and 30% of his cavorting angels were kicked out of heaven because he defrauded God. Don't let him defraud you.

            On the banks of the holy Ganges's, India, I was getting out of a boat. Something was clinging to my legs. I said to the boat-hand "what is wrong, something is holding on to me." They were begging children. Parents and others chop off their legs and they are left to beg...a perishing world.