"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble
or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9
I had a lovely day yesterday. I haven't had a truly lovely day in a very long time. It isn't as if I haven't tried. And it isn't as if things are terribly wrong in my life but I have had a tremendous amount of stress throughout the last many years. I deal with it rather well for the most part but from time to time, it does get to me.
Some of you know that I've been trying to look after myself better. My efforts are showing small but positive improvements so I will keep doing what I'm doing. I am also reading the Word more and making sure I spend time in prayer and praise; giving thanks for all that God does for me. In this regard , I really haven't changed my routine. I've always done this but I have tried to slow down more and cut out some of the distractions.
I know we aren't to dwell on our feelings and circumstances when things are not going our way. That's where that saying comes from "Fake it, til you make it!". But there are some times when we cannot even fake it and we give in to feeling our feelings. While there are many who are afraid of doing this, some experts would argue that it is good for you to feel your feelings. Even the Bible recognizes that people would do that because in the seasons of life it isn't always rosy and sparkling. That is what makes us
human.
The writer of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible has this wisdom:
When life is good, enjoy it.
But when life is hard, remember:
God gives good times and hard times,
and no one knows what tomorrow will bring.
(Ecclesiastes 7:14)
It is through those times that those of us who are believers must continue to believe that better times are ahead and that God will look after us. That is different from believing that every day we
will feel we have complete confidence because some days we absolutely do not feel that way at all.
We
know we can have complete confidence when we fear the Lord and put our trust in Him. He gives us a place of refuge to which we can run in times of trouble. (Proverbs 14:26; Proverbs 18:10; 1 Peter 5:7).
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| Boat on the open waters of the north Atlantic Ocean |
Cast your bread on the waters: for you shall find it after many days.
Ecclesiastes 11:1
I started off by saying that today was a lovely summer day and one I truly enjoyed. I am grateful for such days. Today was very warm but did not have the oppressive heat we've had for much of the summer. We face the waning days of summer on this side of the world and it won't be long before the cool Fall season arrives. Fall is one of my favourite seasons and I look forward to brisk walks in the crisp air.
Today though I enjoyed getting out in the warmth of the sun and enjoyed some of life's simple pleasures: a chat with a neighbour, letters posted to my Zambian children, fresh flowers in vibrant colours, good books from the library, good coffee, and last, but not least, very good news that mom's (trial) wheelchair has arrived. It should be delivered to her in a day or two and she can't wait. After they assess what might be needed to customize the wheelchair, the "real" one will be ordered. I hope both the trial model and the real one, help to alleviate her present discomfort. (For those who like to read my travel posts, I will resume posting images from La Belle Province and other places soon).
