WATCHWORD:
Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Psalm 32:8
Meditation:
… And I Grew
Life journey – A personal case on point:
I grew up in Steubenville, Ohio.
Goshen, Indiana, seventh grade history, I was ridiculed by my teacher in front of my class and by my principal before the entire school. And I grew.
As a freshman in college I fell in love. And I grew.
As a sophomore, my love found another, and I was left broken-hearted. And I grew.
Broken-hearted, I failed to make my grades, lost my deferment, drafted, and found myself in Korea,
on the front lines, in a time of war. Cause and effect. And I grew.
I fell in love, married, and joyously welcomed two children. And we all grew.
After a decade or so, our differences forced a regrettable decision to separate and divorce. And we all grew.
New job, new city, I found that starting over very difficult, I struggled, and I grew.
I fell in love, and two children were added to our family, and the elusive joy returned and remained,
for over 40 years. And we grew.
Together, we found the Lord and it transformed our lives. And we grew.
My love became ill and five years later she was with our Lord. I grieved, and I grew.
Somewhere on my journey, I became aware of His whispered voice, and I followed, and I grew.
I am still growing, still following, to this very moment, God blessed.
Every one of us has a life journey. An array of experiences and emotions, broad straightaways and curvy detours. Ups and downs. Times of loss, times of joy. Whether we are aware of it or not, each pause, each bump, each celebration along the way was designed by our Lord, as he fashioned the path that would equip us to follow His will. We make decisions that we regret, we experience the heights of happiness, or we suffer the loss of a loved one, but if we truly believe we’re following the Lord, we need to go a little easy on ourselves, and renew our trust of Him. These events, these decisions, and even the regrets are God’s way of preparing us for what’s coming next.
Saul had to take a fall before he could follow our Lord and become the apostle Paul. The disciples went through that same training program of life, and scripture reflects their frustration, even times when they walked away from the Lord.
Be honest, look at your life journey for what it has been and continues to be. Our proper response to our ups and downs is thank You Heavenly Father for all your graces, all Your gifts, every single one of them. Amen.
Closing Prayer:
Prayer: Heavenly Father, teach me to order my days that I may be rich toward You. Guide me in paths of righteousness; let Your truth enlighten my heart and illuminate my way. I choose to be generous with all You have entrusted to me. You have prepared me and given me life and grace and mercy. You have opened the eyes of my heart to see Your Way. I choose now to yield my life to You, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
