daily life

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staf,f they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
~ Psalm 23

I say this psalm every day on my way to work. Saying this makes facing each day far easier. In the past, before I said the psalm each day, I found it was far too easy to focus on the unpleasant parts of the day that was coming up. However, when I say the 23rd Psalm and reflect on the words, life slows down, and I am always reminded how blessed I am.

This is what I think of as I say the psalm. Knowing God is guiding me through the day is a huge relief, especially knowing he will lead me home again that night to my green pasture and still water that he has provided, and I call home. I know no matter what I have to face today, the Lord will be there with me, and this knowledge is indeed a huge comfort. Then I reflect on all the Lord has provided to Kate and me, and I have to admit our cup really does overflow. The Lord has blessed us with a home, good jobs, our health, a loving family both back home and in the LCG here on Guam. What more could we want?

Once I remind myself each day of the blessing my Shepherd has provided for me, facing the day is easy. Instead of dreading work, I actually look forward to going in because I am looking forward to what the Lord has in store for me.

~ Jeff Moots