“Awesome,” Dr Lele said.  I was at the eye clinic for my third follow up on my cataract surgery.  “Awesome,” he said. Now one hardly ever hears that during one’s lifetime and then to be told that when you’re closer to 78 than 77, when some people think that because you’re old you don’t have to take care of yourself.  I told Dr. Lele that I hadn’t seen this good since I was a teenager.

That took me back to the Old Testament lesson last Sunday, Isaiah 62.  There the Lord says, “I’m going to give you a new name” and “You shall be a crown of beauty in my hand and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.”  Wow, new name, beautiful crown, diadem fit for royalty.  Finally, “Your God shall rejoice over you.”  That’s heady stuff and good to hear.  And then in the Gospel from John 2, Jesus goes to a wedding and turns 150 gallons of water into fine wine.

This God stuff is almost more than I can take in.  But the psalmist in 128 says, “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways.”  Well, if God is going to give you a new name, calls you beautiful and makes you royalty, you would have to be a fool not to go for that.

That’s awesome, count me in.