By Doris Schroeder
I used to wonder what it would be like when I could begin to say “I’m getting old!” Would I feel sad because I could no longer do the things I used to do? Would I feel I had wasted part of my life in doing things that only had to be done over, and over and over? Would I wonder if I should have learned some other things than I did or concentrate more on the obvious? Or would I be satisfied with my life and how God has worked it out…sometimes in spite of my help?
There was that old saying that advocated “Wisdom comes with age” and I wondered how you would feel it. Would you suddenly have deep thoughts and answers to all of life’s quizzes? Or would you be one of those that never found the fountain of wisdom and you could kick yourself you hadn’t found it! Perhaps you lamented how your growing up years were like, your school years, your marriage years and you thought how it could have been better if this or that had happened.
Since I accepted Christ into my life at 12 years of age, I know He had definitely guided me along the way. Did I have a perfect childhood? Of course not.
I lost my 6 year-old-sister when I was three and a half. She had protected me from the teasing of the neighbor boys and it was a trial I had to learn after she was gone.
Before, I always depended on her. After I had to do my own living and investigate life by myself…and there were many instances when I was fearful but even then, I had a feeling of God-consciousness.
I did look for the answers of finding God in all the sixteen times we moved in my childhood. I knew I wanted to be a Christian but for some reason, I had to find it myself. Finally when we lived on the family farm for a few years and I attended the one-room country school of Sunrise, I learned 500 Bible verses from the Rural Bible Crusade. As I helped out on the farm, I would think about what those verses meant. Finally one day when I came home to an empty farmhouse, I found a tract and read those verses once again and the light finally came on. I accepted Christ into my heart and I never had a doubt. During all that time, I also had a desire to write stories about living and make up plays.
When we moved back to Hutch, I attended a large Junior High, and even though it was quite different, I made it through. For some reason, I had made up my mind to attend Buhler High School, which was not easy. Between working at the drug store, taking voice lessons, taking speech and journalism, rooming in Buhler and catching a ride back to Hutch on week ends, I had a full life.
I had thought I would get my college degree and teach school as I loved to work with kids but God had other plans for me. I met my future hubby and we were married two weeks after I graduated. I had much to learn but we made it. In the years that followed we had two children, a boy and a girl, I taught Children’s Bible Clubs, built our first house, and attended a new church at that time…Crestview.
We built our second house where we still live, and attended Union Valley. We had a Schroeder’s Floor Fashions carpet business and worked hard, having ups and downs, of course, but always with God beside us.
As we look back at our life in general, we remember the ups more than we remember the downs because God always worked it out to our good when we gave it over to him. Did we sometimes get discouraged? Of course, but now as we reminisce, we can see how God interceded to make things come out all right. We can even understand some of the whys and wherefores as we see the big picture.
In 2007, my doctor told me I had cancer and it was scary. God, however, answered my prayer and they got it all. Later, God let me know He wanted me to write about what He is all about and it has been a real joy to do so.
The years have dimmed some of our physical being …hearing is dimmer, we both have a “bad leg” to limp on, our energy level is certainly down, we forget very easily but there is real joy in knowing the God who made us. As we look back we can now understand why God sent some hard things in our life and how it worked out to our good. Death, when it comes, will be glorious because we are absolutely sure where we are going and Heaven is a wonderful place.
Could that be what wisdom really is? A solid belief and trust in the One who made us. Of course, that doesn’t mean we think we are perfect, far from it, but we have the only perfect being directing our paths. That is why we can even claim a little wisdom in this…trusting Christ through everything!
Doris welcomes your comments and can be reached at [email protected]
