Reason #724

It's rare that we have absolutely no plans for the weekend. Literally, there is not a single thing on our agenda this weekend. I had to think long and hard to come up with ideas for things to do because we definitely needed to get out of the house. After a few hours made up of a lunch date and random errands, we came home and decided we'd just stay in for the night. And, if I am being honest, it has been really nice. Sure, there were plenty of things we could have done, but it was nice to do a whole lot of nothing.

I feel like life comes in waves. It is either too busy or too slow. You either have too many things to do or nothing at all. It'd be nice if it would average itself out, wouldn't it? I guess the slow days make you anticipate the busy ones and the busy ones make you appreciate the slow ones. And really, the older I get, the more I find that I like the slow days. Because, truthfully, no matter how slow they are, you look back realize they still flew by anyway. Time is funny like that.

I was driving home the other day and I listened to a CD I got a few years ago. I probably haven't listened to it in about a year, so I flipped through the tracks to refresh my memory of the playlist. It's funny how songs and time are associated. You can hear a certain song and remember when you heard it and where you were. As I listened to each song, I wondered where time went. I remembered when I got that CD and it doesn't feel like it has been that long ago. Anyway, I found the song I was looking for and turned up the volume. The lyrics brought such a peace to my heart and praise flowed as I sang along.

 

Pain is a forest we all get lost in
Between the branches hope can be so hard to see
And in the darkness we've all got questions
We're all just trying to make sense out of suffering but

You say I am blessed because of this
So, I choose to believe
As I carry this cross, You'll carry me
Help me believe it

Fear is a current we all get caught in
And in its motion faith can be so hard to find
And we all falter 'cause we're all broken
We're all just trying to turn the shadows into light but

You get glory in the midst of this
And You're walking with me
And you say I am blessed because of this
So, I choose to believe
As I carry this cross, You'll carry me

And I know Your promises are faithful
And God, I've seen Your goodness in my life
And oh, I've found Your mercy is a river
Your love is an ocean wide

You say I am blessed because of this
You get glory in the midst of this
And You're walking with me

And You say I am blessed because of this
So, I choose to believe
As I carry this cross, as I carry this cross
'Cause as I carry this cross, You'll carry me

You'll carry me, God
You'll carry me
And Your love is an ocean wide

 

That's what I love about the Lord. Daily, He walks with us if we'll let Him. And although some days drag out painfully slow and seem as if they'll never end, He hangs in there with us. And the other days, the ones that speed by in the blink of an eye, He walks with us through those, too. When nothing is going on, and when everything is crashing down, He is there. When the burden is heavy or when it's light, He carries it. When the joy is overflowing, when the sorrow is so prevalent, when we daily make an attempt to pick up our cross and follow Him, He is with us. And when we feel like we can't keep moving, or can't move fast enough, or when we feel like we can't get our footing, He carries us. Through the forests of pain, the scary currents, the uncertainties of darkness, and the brokenness, He carries us.

 

Time is a blessing, but time with the Lord is the real blessing. And so even if we spend time in pain, if we spend time in confusion, suffering, heartache, or sorrow, it's blessed because He is present. And when we spend time in joy, happiness, celebration, success, prosperity, and goodness, it's just as blessed because He is present. But every day, no matter how fast or slow, good or bad it is, God is there. He blesses us with His presence all the time, we just have to be mindful to seek it and to soak it up. A free and easily accessible blessing to anyone who seeks it.

 

#724 - For the blessing of His constant presence.

 

"O nations of the world, recognize the Lord, recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence." - 1 Chronicles 16:28-29