A friend of mine named this song. She had come to the point in her life where she was content to wait for God’s leading in finding her future husband. For me, it reminded me of being content to wait for God in my daily circumstances. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is found in Exodus 14:13, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today.” (NKJ) The Israelites were fleeing the Egyptians and the Red Sea lay before them. Imagine all the commotion and the fear. Then Moses told the people to stop what they were doing and watch what God was about to do for them. If they kept looking at the Egyptians and not at Moses, they would have missed one of the most awesome miracles in human history.

How often do we insist on staring at the enemy rather than at our Deliverer? A lot of times we don’t stand still long enough to see the Lord working in our lives through the circumstances and people around us. We’re impatient; we’re discontent. Contented waiting is simply confidence in the fact that God is in control and that God knows what is best for us, his children. Discontented waiting places no confidence in God’s ability to work through the circumstances and people that surround us. Contented waiting is what my friend displayed when she trusted her perfect Heavenly Father to bring her future husband in his perfect time. Discontented waiting would have complained to God for not following her timetable. Here are some verses to help cultivate a spirit of contented waiting.

“Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.” (Psalm 37:7, NLT)

“Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful.” (Romans 12:12, NLT)

“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14, NLT)

Copyright 1999. John Albert Thomas. All Rights Reserved.

I love the feelings that arise when I get to go to my parents’ home in Georgia. All the memories and feelings that accompany them flood my mind and my heart as I drive to their house, each mile more familiar than the previous. When I get there and walk through the front door, my mom greets me with open arms and the sweetest smile. My dad walks behind her and patiently waits for her to collect all the hugs she missed since the last time we visited. She turns to hug my wife as I hug my dad. My dad’s hugs have gotten so much better over the last few years. The squeeze gets tighter with each visit. His hugs tell me so much about what’s down deep in his heart. In them I hear him say, “I love you so much. I’m proud of you, son. Look where God has brought us in our relationship. It sure is good to see you. I’m so blessed to be your dad.” And with humility and joy, I gladly accept his offer of love.

As I ponder the inexpressible feelings of vitality and joy that fill my soul during this exchange, I can only catch a glimpse of what it must be like to go to my Heavenly home and be warmly welcomed by my Heavenly Father. My Father will welcome me into his arms with a tight squeeze. And because he sees the perfection of Jesus Christ when he looks at me, I can hear him say, “I love you so much. I’m proud of you, son. Look where we’ve come in our relationship. Boy, it’s good to see you. I’m so blessed to be your dad.” And with humility and joy, I will gladly accept his offer of love.

It is because of the perfect obedience of his Son that God can see us, even with all of our faults, as being perfect and deserving of his love. He requires no work of obedience on our part to gain his affection. He only requires faith in his Son’s death as payment for our own disobedience. Our best acts of obedience are tainted with impure motives and imperfect methods. So we must accept Christ’s perfect obedience to be our own. Through that faith we are made one with Christ and through that unity we are being made perfect until the day we go home.

Copyright 1999. John Albert Thomas. All Rights Reserved.

The pace at which many of us choose to live our lives often excludes time for serious reflection. Perhaps we make ourselves busy because we are afraid to take a close look at ourselves–our past, our current lifestyle and our future. But why the fear? Maybe it’s because we often feel that the truth will hurt us. It is objective, and it does not care about our feelings. So to protect ourselves from the sometimes-harsh reality of what is true, we don’t allow ourselves the time and energy to think about it.

But God wants us to take the time to look back and reflect. “This is what the Lord Almighty says: Give careful thought to your ways.” (Haggai 1:5, NIV) The Psalmist says, “I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works. I think about what you have done.” (Psalms 143:5, NLT) Our faith is reinforced when we look back and see how God has been working in our lives up until this very moment. When we see how he brought us through all the trials and circumstances of our lives we cannot help but have hope for the future. If we can’t see how God has been working in our lives, we should ask him to show us. We may have to courageously face the fact that someone whom we love has hurt us. But the faith and courage it takes to look back and see that hurt is the same faith and courage that accepts the fact that through every hurt God was preparing us for this day and the days to come. His ultimate goal for us is to not only bring glory to himself, but also for us to enjoy him in every way.

Copyright 1999. John Albert Thomas. All Rights Reserved.

I grew up with a distorted view of God. I thought the “grace of God” was little more than the sum of a few theological points; a concept that offered me no comfort. This was because the leaders in my church enforced the Law rather than the grace of God. For example, when I was in tenth grade my spiritual leaders told me that I could not be a true Christian because they thought I had too much pride. One of them also sat my friends and me down around his desk and proceeded to tell each of us what he thought our worst sins were and that we needed to repent. He said my worst sin was pride and that I had better lose it quickly! To survive, I learned the art of looking “humble.” I thought, “If a ‘man of God’ sees me this way, then surely God must.” I spent hours on my bedroom floor weeping and picturing this big fist coming out of heaven to crush me. But God lifted the veil that had been placed over my eyes, and I heard him say to me, “Never doubt your salvation again. You are mine.” It was as if God pulled the plug on the ocean in which I was drowning. I was free. But I still did not understand what it meant to be free.

When I was in college, God began to re-educate me. He showed me that many of the things I grew up believing were not true. I made many friends from different backgrounds; each had a heart for God and a relationship with Jesus Christ. But I still struggled with a judgmental attitude because I had been taught that if you didn’t believe all of the same things that we believed, then you really could not be a true Christian. But I learned differently from my friends.

In January 1993, I transferred from Oglethorpe University to Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama to study Music Theory and Composition. I continued to struggle with being judgmental. I still lived in the fear that God would not bless me if I did anything wrong. I still did not understand what it meant to be free.

Then, in April 1994, God introduced me to a beautiful, young woman from Memphis, Tennessee. Her name was Rebecca Walton. It was pretty much love-at-first-sight for me. We started dating and a month later I knew I would marry her. (She took a little longer to come to the same conclusion, but at least she did come to it!) In the early months of 1995, though, our relationship began to sour. As we discussed the problem, we discovered that I had crushed her spirit with my judgmental attitude. I was trying to live up to an impossible standard to please God; and, in the process, I was placing the same expectations on her. I quickly realized that I had to lose my judgmental attitude or else lose the woman with whom I knew God wanted me to spend the rest of my life. I began to scramble for some understanding. My mom recommended a book that she found helpful, Transforming Grace, by Jerry Bridges. As I read the book and studied the Scriptures, I began to discover the grace of God as I had never seen it before. One thought in particular freed me, “There is not one thing that I can do to make God love me more; and there is not one thing that I can do to make God love me less.” For the first time I discovered that God shows his grace to me not just by saving me from my own disobedience, but also by giving me the will and the strength to live for him daily. God used Becky to teach me that lesson. To him and to her I am eternally grateful.

Copyright 1999. John Albert Thomas. All Rights Reserved.

There’s something simply splendid about companionship. When we were kids, my brother and I would explore the countryside where we lived. We would talk and argue, play with and protect each other. We were like Lewis and Clark exploring the great American frontier.

I gradually came to realize two very elementary truths about human nature. First, our very best times are never so enjoyable as when we have someone with whom to share them. And second, our very worst times are almost unbearable with no one to carry the load with us. Jesus Christ promised to walk beside us during both good and bad times. “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20, NLT) He may not be physically beside us, but he sent his Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts to guide us.

He also gives us human companions. We are to help carry each other’s burdens as King Solomon put it, “A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.” (Proverbs 17:17, NLT) For example, we each have our own struggle with sinful habits. But with the Holy Spirit living in our hearts and the encouragement of our trusted friends, we are given the strength to conquer those sinful habits. God gave us to each other to edify and to lift each other up–to walk the road together.

Few words in the English language are as difficult to say or carry as much emotional weight as the word, “Goodbye.” The word implies the hope that we will meet again and the realization that we may not. One of the most difficult goodbyes I ever had to say was when I graduated high school. My parents decided for health purposes to move to Atlanta, Georgia. Now, all the friends from my childhood were miles away, and I was not sure if I would ever see them again. But through the years God in his kindness has seen fit to cross some of our paths.

I came to realize that people come and go throughout our lives. We can look back with fond memories of friends we had while growing up. We think, “What are they doing today? Are they married? Do they have kids?” We can have sad memories as well. “Why did he have to die? He was too young!” It seems that God brings people into our lives for periods of time, and then eventually sends us on our separate ways. But why is that?

Perhaps goodbyes are blessings in disguise. Without them the Hello’s are never so sweet! What a blessing to say “Goodbye” to my wife in the morning, work a full day, and come home to hear that welcoming word, “Hello!” from her precious lips! And even when a loved one dies, we have the hope that we will see them again someday when it is our turn to leave this life behind.

Copyright 1999. John Albert Thomas. All Rights Reserved.

Life was so much simpler when I was a child. The most difficult decision I faced was, “What flavor ice cream do you want?” I thought, “Do I want bubble gum or black raspberry? What about peanut butter cup? Can I get that with M&Ms mixed in?” Mind you, this would go on for five to ten minutes. Were it not for my parents, I would have continued this discussion with myself until I knew I had the right flavor. It was like a moral dilemma for me. The funny thing is that when I finally gave up the debate I always ended up with chocolate.

I have to admit that I had a blessed childhood. I don’t deny that there were problems, or that my parents made mistakes. But the good they did far outweighs the bad. My dad faithfully got up early every morning and spent time with God. After dinner we had family time in the living room or at the dinner table. Mom loved us in a million ways and disciplined us when we needed it. If I was unkind to my brother or sister, she would make me write out fifty times, “Be kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32.” (I didn’t have to look that one up!) I feel very blessed to have grown up in the home where God placed me.

Sometimes, however, we look back and think of all the negative things that have happened to us. There certainly is a time and place to deal with those things through counseling or some other positive means. But when we dwell on those negative thoughts to the point where bitterness settles into our hearts, we lose sight of the fact that God brought us through those things for a purpose and with a promise. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28, NLT) We must not forget the many blessings that God gave to each of us throughout our childhood, even without our asking.

Copyright 1999. John Albert Thomas. All Rights Reserved.

During my teenage years, I was considered something of a nerd. I loved computers, I was in the Rocket Club, and I received several awards for Science Fair projects. But, in my defense, I was also on the track and field team and the cross-country ski team. In college, I made it a point to explore new clubs and activities every semester. After all, life is an adventure.

But there was one thing that consistently plagued me through those long, interminable teenage years–unrequited love. I had a twelve-year crush on one girl. And when I got tired of feeling rejected by her, I pursued other young ladies. I laugh when I remember that over a period of one year I vainly pursued a dozen different girls. Perhaps I was a bit lonely? You know how it went, “Do you like me? Yes. No. Maybe. Circle one.” This was typically returned with a serious look of pity and the words, “Can’t we just be friends?”

One of these was a girl I met at a family conference in Tennessee. It was for her that I composed this piano work, trying to capture in melody my consuming thoughts and feelings for her. But it was not long after this that I realized she, like the others, was only interested in friendship. At the same time I was reading in Revelation: “I have this against you–you have left your First Love.” I recommitted myself and this work to Jesus Christ and named it “First Love” to remind me of how quickly I can take my eyes off of Christ and place them on other things.

Copyright 1999. John Albert Thomas. All Rights Reserved.

I grew up on the county line between the towns of Ontario and Webster in New York State, just a mile and a half south of Lake Ontario. My father owned an acre of land, which was surrounded by woods on three sides. Across the street there was a small farm with a few beef cows, some chickens and goats, a few noisy guinea hens, and three dogs. I had many adventures exploring the farmland and the wooded areas. Just south of the farm a cornfield had been harvested; and, oddly enough, in the middle of the field was a small, round patch of woods.

As I walked through this patch of woods I saw squirrels running up and down a fallen tree trunk. I heard the subtle hum of bees high in the treetops, and I watched the chipmunks stuff their cheeks with acorns in preparation for the snowy winter ahead. I approached the other side of the woods where there lay a pile of rock that had been plowed up from the cornfield. On a flat, elevated spot I dropped my bag of books and sat down.

In front of me row upon row of bent, brown corn stalks lay interspersed with glassy puddles of water, each reflecting the golden hue of the setting sun. It was there that I marveled at a God who could have created such wonders. I sat there for hours at a time doing my schoolwork, reading the Bible, singing songs and developing an intimate relationship with God. It was there that I talked with God about my day. It was in that secret place that I caught a glimpse of what being in his presence is really like.

Copyright 1999. John Albert Thomas. All Rights Reserved.

In high school, I read a book by Lucy Maude Montgomery called The Golden Road. It was about a group of kids who got together in the summer, shared many great adventures, and then departed when the new school year began. The story deeply moved me as I, too, was about to part ways with my high school friends. So the name “The Golden Road” stuck with me.

During my freshman year at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, I struggled with depression. Like many college students, I wrestled with the question, “What is truth?” I had to come to grips with the fact that not everything I grew up believing was true. And it was through writing the poem, “The Golden Road,” that I began to see that God was actively working through my daily experiences to bring me to a place of maturity. He wanted me to grow up.

The apostle Paul put it this way, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” (1 Corinthians 13:11, NIV)

Copyright 1999. John Albert Thomas. All Rights Reserved.