Stahl-Wert begins the book, which he proclaims to be a true story, by explaining a unique experience shared with a dear uncle, Sam. The special outing occurred when young Johnny was only 6 or 7 years old. Having been born into a Mennonite family with several brothers and sisters and even more cousins, it was a rare treat to spend one-on-one time with his favorite uncle. On this day it was a special buggy ride followed by his first experience drinking a Coke that caused John to ponder the concept of  “with.” What comfort and sense of belonging it gave him to know that he was with Sam and Sam was with him.

After finishing the book I decided to explore the concept further, looking up the word in my dictionary. A few of the offerings were:  in the company of, in relation to, in the same direction as. Interesting! I jotted down a few words that came to my mind as well:  relationship, intimacy, unity, togetherness, belonging. What satisfying words!

Stahl-Wert goes on to tell of other  special familial relationships he has enjoyed and then draws the analogy of  “us with God.”  I’ll leave you to check out the rest of this wonderful work for yourselves, but I conclude with some thoughts from  the Holy Scriptures on this concept of with.

“…you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.” John 15:9

“You also are among those who are called to belong to Christ.”  Romans 1:6

“…So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:5

I’ll leave you with two questions Stahl-Wert’s book begs to have you answer, Who are you with?  Who is with you?

May you be blessed today!

I’ve decided that God must sometimes sit back and say, “Well, let’s see how long it takes her to figure this one out.” Then after I’ve trudged around in my self-absorbed state of gloominess for the appropriate length of time, He gives me a nugget of truth to chew on for a while. Hmmm…

“In this world you will have troubles…” (I was disappointed by her reaction… Why didn’t he know that I was feeling bad?… It seems like there’s always something breaking down…Why can’t he just see it my way?) Hmmm… “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.” Hmmm… “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Sooner or later, my rational side takes charge and I look at my day through the lens of reason. What was I thinking? How many hours of my life will I spend being distracted with meaningless, destructive thinking? Why should I give Satan a foothold with my self-centered pondering and my lazy attitude of discouragement? My spirit longs for that remembered place of joy and ease, the place where I give my doubts and disappointments to Him to scatter over the expanse of an endless universe. “Satisfy me in the morning with Your unfailing love, O Lord, that I may sing for joy and be glad all my days.”

As I see the sky lightening and a new day approaching, I take up a new resolve to protect my enthusiasm and optimism, to remember the God of each and every day… even those 3.5’s.