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EN(dur)ANCE by Robin Gudal

I seldom listened to music growing up. I don’t remember my parents playing music in our home except on special occasions. Our children, well mostly the boys, really loved music — mostly music I didn’t approve of and thus I banned it from our home. I have been accused by the older ones that when the youngest was in her teenage years that I had grown “soft.” I had made a new rule, Christian music or country — I felt that had to be somewhat of a compromise.

When I was in high school our town of Bricelyn had a Miss Bricelyn pageant; the year I won 1980 our theme was (John Denver) “Thank God I’m A County Gal.” Maybe that was how I made my country music rule. To this day I prefer Christian music, and if you visited my home, you would hear day or night the radio filtering it’s truth throughout our home. I believe truth of God’s love and mercy in hymns, and modern-day worship speaks to one’s soul. It soothes, it settles; it helps to guide.

When dating, Greggy (my now hubs) raised Quarter horses, wore a cowboy hat and a country plaid shirt with those fancy white and silver buttons, had a big belt buckle and of course had boots! So, I feel if a song were to be written about him it would have to be in the country genre. The songs rings in my heart with lyrics as such: a good man, a strong man, a man who values faith and family, roping the horse and winning the girl (me).

His favorite verse is Philippians 1:21, NIV. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

My challenge or charge this week is to live for Christ. Accept his love, his mercy, his forgiveness, and his unfailing love. In doing so we gain heaven. A real place. We have hope eternally. Life is so hard, even more challenging these days, yet we have a promise and hope. We have a future. This is good news. If you have grown weary and lost hope, lest you forget (in a country hum) — he cares for you.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, (step, adoptive, grands and greats), moms who play that role, mentors, Greggy, my dad Tracy, Scott, Brian and Matt. You are men whom I love dearly!

Robin (Beckman) Gudal is intentional in life, a wife, momma, nana, friend and a flawed and imperfect follower of Jesus.