If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it, ~ Mary Engelbreit
When I read this quote a few days ago, it reminded me of a story I read about my father. One day, towards the end of his life, when my sister was visiting, Dad first quoted Psalm 27:1 and then Psalm 23:6. “The LORD is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid? Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
Dad’s life hadn’t been easy. He had been a young man in occupied Holland during WWII, had immigrated to Canada so he might be able to fulfill his dream of owning a farm. He had to sell that farm after a few short years because of an industrial accident and then searched for several years to find a job that his pain would allow him to do. He had cancer, a stroke and declining mobility in his later years. Yet, he had trusted God was in control of his life, past present and future.
It made me reflect on my own life. What is my attitude like when I face feelings of rejection, the fear of failure or when life seems dark and grey? Am I trusting that God is the light of my life and my strong place?
Towards the end of my marriage, I was doing a cross stitch sampler of Psalm 23:6. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to complete it. I didn’t feel like “goodness and mercy” were following me then and I wondered if that would ever change. That was eighteen years ago now and that sampler has had a prominent place in wherever I’ve lived for many years.
It’s easier for me to see God’s hand on my life when I’m looking back than to trust Him for today and tomorrow. Slowly, it’s becoming easier to let the lessons learned yesterday affect the way I feel about today. Praise God, He isn’t finished with me yet. He is changing my heart.
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