Goodness and Mercy
Mom and I babysat Annelise from 10:00-5:00pm today. Annelise is almost five months old, so she’s at a really fun stage of development. We stopped at Goodwill this afternoon and Annelise had all of the shoppers grinning and cooing at her! We also managed to buy a couple of outfits for her. I can’t help it. I love holding up little dresses or summer pants to Annelise, only to have her smile and reach out her hands, as if to say, “Pick that one! I want to wear that one!” Can a five-month-old have fashion sense? I do believe so.
Last night’s small group lesson was about, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all of the days of my life,” (from Psalm 23) and then I read in my personal Bible study about the “treasures” the Lord has for us when we walk with Him in faith, even during the “dark” circumstances of our lives. The over-all goal for this week’s Bible study is to be able to state (and live out), “It is well with my soul even if it may not be well with my circumstances”.
Today, I felt the goodness and mercy of the Lord. My circumstances were pleasant. However, as the Bible study teaches, there is danger in measuring our walk with the Lord based on circumstances. If I have learned or experienced anything over the past nine months, it is that the Lord does indeed show goodness and mercy in all circumstances, especially during the dark days of suffering.
The Lord has blessed me with strength and joy all day and I’m so thankful. However, I’m even more grateful for His presence- filled with goodness and mercy- that He bestows on me each day, despite the circumstances of life. He does not measure out His goodness and mercy based on the mood of my soul. Instead, He is Jehovah-Jirah, meaning, “The Lord will see. The Lord will provide”.
Comments:
April 24th, 2007 at 7:40 am
It’s such a blessing to read this — to know the walk you are walking and the “dark” places you have seen. You constantly put my life into perspective, and what a blessing that is. Praise God for a pain-free day!! But as you say, also Praise Him for being Him and for being with us always. Can’t wait to see you sometime soon! Love and Peace in Him, Aleah
April 24th, 2007 at 10:04 am
Katy I am so happy your feeling better
Praise the Lord for even a few hours of no pain and be able to go out and see different thing, and enjoy the moment!
Here is a song for you….
http://heaintthroughwithmeyet.wordpress.com/v-strong-tower/
Love and Blessings
Andrea
April 25th, 2007 at 7:24 am
Katy,
What a blessing and encouragement this post is! I’m so thankful for you and your outlook on life. Thanks for sharing!
Love and prayers,
Jen
April 25th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Hey Katy!
I totally agree and all I can say is AMEN! I’m so tempted to judge my walk w/ the Lord based on my circumstances. You and your family have been such a great encouragement to me - as I watch you and your amazing attitude that can only come from knowing and trusting in the Lord - I am humbled! You continue to inspire and encourage - thank you my friend!
I’m glad that you are having some good days - they are such a blessing and it’s wonderful that the weather is cooperating! I can’t believe Annelise is 5 months old already! That is a fun stage - they seem to be able to relate more and more every day - and the good news is they just get more and more fun! Waiting till the crawling starts! That is one of my favorite phases!!
Love ya! Jess