{"id":465,"date":"2011-05-13T10:43:10","date_gmt":"2011-05-13T14:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=465"},"modified":"2011-05-07T16:54:25","modified_gmt":"2011-05-07T20:54:25","slug":"big-plans-or-new-toys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/05\/big-plans-or-new-toys.html","title":{"rendered":"Big plans or new toys"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By the time I was born, my father had started several successful businesses. \u00a0As a teenager, he was an ice man, selling ice to many people in his small town. \u00a0After he married my mother, he started a grocery store with a brother. \u00a0When misunderstanding threatened to ruin the relationship, he moved away from the store and established a restaurant.<\/p>\n

As the population of the area around the restaurant deteriorated and the market changed, he moved closer to our home and began an ice cream parlor. \u00a0He and Mother worked long, hard hours in each business.<\/p>\n

When Dad left the business world, he took a civil service job. \u00a0Through every venture, my parents kept their hearts focused on a bigger picture than the hardships of the day. \u00a0They did without many of the toys that people think are essential to their lives. \u00a0When our parents died, they left an inheritance for their children. \u00a0They had no debts, only assets and savings. \u00a0Yet, what they left for us was more than money in a bank account and a paid-off home mortgage.<\/p>\n

Perhaps their greatest heritage for us was their ability to see beyond today and into the future, trusting God to orchestra our lives. \u00a0They taught us a myriad of lessons in delayed gratification, even though they never used those two words. \u00a0Often, when someone has left Special Gathering which is a ministry within the mentally challenged community for one reason or another, we don\u2019t grieve because we know that they will be back and when they come back. \u00a0Our mission is discipleship and evangelizing. \u00a0We will be here waiting and welcoming them. \u00a0We will be here for years in the future. \u00a0We plan to continue ministry now and from now on.<\/p>\n

Discouragement is part of life; but it isn\u2019t the most important part. \u00a0Patience is a hallmark virtue of life in Christ. \u00a0Waiting for God to move means rewards from our Sovereign Lord. \u00a0My parents\u2019 life wasn\u2019t exciting or thrilling. \u00a0However, their legacy is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By the time I was born, my father had started several successful businesses. \u00a0As a teenager, he was an ice man, selling ice to many people in his small town. \u00a0After he married my mother, he started a grocery store with a brother. \u00a0When misunderstanding threatened to ruin the relationship, he moved away from the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,20,3,10,16,28,85,12,41],"tags":[690,21,688,696,7,699,701,13,694,19,689,692,700],"class_list":["post-465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-church","category-developmental-disabilities","category-inspirational","category-intellectual-disability","category-mentally-challenged","category-prayer-2","category-religion","category-spirituality","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-church","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faith","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disabilities","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-mental-retardation","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-religion","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nBig plans or new toys - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Big plans or new toys - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By the time I was born, my father had started several successful businesses. \u00a0As a teenager, he was an ice man, selling ice to many people in his small town. \u00a0After he married my mother, he started a grocery store with a brother. \u00a0When misunderstanding threatened to ruin the relationship, he moved away from the…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/05\/big-plans-or-new-toys.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-05-13T14:43:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-05-07T20:54:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2011\/05\/sf_day_13_sm.jpg.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. Howard\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Big plans or new toys - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"nofollow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Big plans or new toys - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","og_description":"By the time I was born, my father had started several successful businesses. \u00a0As a teenager, he was an ice man, selling ice to many people in his small town. \u00a0After he married my mother, he started a grocery store with a brother. \u00a0When misunderstanding threatened to ruin the relationship, he moved away from the…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/05\/big-plans-or-new-toys.html","og_site_name":"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","article_published_time":"2011-05-13T14:43:10+00:00","article_modified_time":"2011-05-07T20:54:25+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2011\/05\/sf_day_13_sm.jpg.jpeg"}],"author":"Linda G. 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