Proverbs 31:30-31
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.
On this date, when I was just two months old, a significant birth took place about a thousand miles away from our home in Camas, Washington. In Sparta, Michigan, a mother gave birth to a bouncing baby girl that she named Joyce Elaine. This precious life was to become my dearest friend and beloved wife just eighteen years later.
Yes, we were only eighteen years old when we were married on July 10, 1952. For those of you trying to mentally calculate, it was almost sixty-one years ago. In all these years, I have discovered that (aside from my personal salvation) God had entrusted to me the most precious gift that could be given to any man.
My dear wife and closest friend has taught me so much about loving and caring for others. She has the gentle and quiet spirit that we find described in Proverbs 31. She has been given the spiritual gift of mercy and is very sensitive to the feelings and needs of those around her.
Across the 79 years of my life I have received many gifts—some large and some small. Some have been gag gifts and some have been thoughtful gifts. But of all the gifts I have ever received, God gave me the greatest when He gave me my Joyce. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR WIFE!!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil