I was not familiar with Howard Arnold Walter until I recently ran across one of his poems. He was an American writer and assistant pastor who died in the flu epidemic of 1918 at the age of 35. This is the poem that caught my attention.
“My creed I would be true, for there are those who trust me;
I would be pure, for there are those who care;
I would be strong, for there is much to suffer;
I would be brave, for there is much to dare.
I would be friend of all – the foe, the friendless;
I would be giving, and forget the gift.
I would be humble, for I know my weakness;
I would look up – and laugh – and love – and lift.”
That is a creed every Christian can live up to, because there is scripture to support every line of it. We are encouraged to be true (Psalms 7:10); pure (1 John 3:3); strong and brave (Joshua 1:9); friend of all (1 Timothy 2:1); giving (1 Timothy 6:18); and humble (Matthew 5:5). There are more verses of scripture and some may even be more relevant, but you get the idea.
Before I knew he was an assistant pastor, I knew Howard Walter was a Christian, because that last line of his poem gave it away. It describes my personal relationship with God. I look up a lot because I know from where my blessings come. Every day I find a reason to look up and say, “I know that was you, Lord. Thank you!” I also laugh a lot with friends and with my Lord. I have mentioned before how surprised C.S. Lewis was by the joy he experienced as a Christian; because when he was an atheist, Christianity seemed so somber, serious and stoic. I can’t count the number of times I have laughed with the Lord during my lifetime walking with Him. Recently, I was looking at an old photo of my wife and I. I said out loud, “Boy, I was fat back then. Look at that double chin.” I sensed the Lord was laughing at that, so I felt under my chin and laughing I said, “Okay, Lord. It isn’t gone completely, but at least it isn’t as prominent as it was back then.” To some that may sound trivial or even sacrilegious, but I can’t wait to get to heaven and actually see Jesus’ smile and hear Him laugh.
It is God’s love that makes salvation and a relationship with Him possible. (John 3:16) As Christians, His love continues to flow through us to those around us. Our love for others naturally leads us to reach out to them and lift them with a helping hand, encouraging words and our prayers. As a matter of fact, I hope you feel the joy, love and encouragement present in my blog posts. They are a product of my relationship with God and my obedience to His will for my life.