Be Glad

Last week a friend of mine gave a talk on the overflowing peace that comes as we walk with the Lord. Her theme verse was, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it”, Psalm 118:24. It has stuck with me all week. Life has been quite busy for me the last two weeks. It has been filled with many ups and a couple of downs, but through it all I claimed the verse above and cherished every moment.  Each day and activity has brought with it an important life lesson. My time has been filled with drives to water polo games, working, volunteering as senior class photographer, and the exciting homecoming events for my sons’ school.

         The first life lesson I gained is that in the midst of all life’s busyness we must consciously choose to make time for ourselves and the Lord, and to seize opportunities as they arise. Thursday after work as I headed to my son’s afternoon water polo game, (right near the beach), I noticed I had half an hour or so before his game started, so instead of getting there early and sitting in my car waiting, I used the time to walk along the beach. What a blessing that was! I took a break from the constant hurrying and enjoyed the beautiful day. As I walked along the shore letting the waves splash up on me I was refreshed not just physically, but mentally and spiritually as well.  Stepping back for a moment gives us a clear perspective and a joyful attitude.

     The second lessons I learned were at that water polo game, “Trust in the Lord” and “pray on all occasions”. My son plays goalie, so the pressure was on. As a mom I also have the role of cheerleader. That day they played against a very hard team, but my son did a good job of blocking many balls, two of which were with his face. So my cheerleading stopped, as my role of mom came to the fore front. I could see the pain in his eyes. He was struggling, but would not quit. The refs didn’t seem to notice, so I yelled to my son to call a time out, but he motioned to me that he would be ok. All I could do was sit there and pray. Actually, that was the most important thing I could do for my son. When we feel helpless, He is our help. My son’s jaw is healing nicely. I will continue to pray for his safety and protection.

The third lesson I learned is that there is a reason we go to high school when we are young… it takes a lot of energy. It sure is fun to step back and watch my boys go through this adventure though.  Sometimes I start to reflect on when they were little and I miss the silly childhood fun. But, I have learned that as scripture says, “Don’t long for the good old days” (Ecclesiastes 7:10), instead enjoy the present. I am actually in the process of making more “good old days”.  The week of homecoming brings a lot of excitement and activities, such as dressing up each day. One of the days my 14 year old went to school in dinosaur pajamas and my 17 year old went with a bike helmet covered in aluminum foil. The themes were “prehistoric” and “future”.  So, it turns out, we don’t have to give up the silly childhood fun after all.

      I was able to watch the fourth in action with my sons this weekend. True and Christ-like friends are priceless. They give you a safe place to be yourself; they show you it’s ok to not go to the “cool kid” party, even if you are invited. True friends support you, encourage you, protect you and love you. It’s better to spend time with a small group of true friends than be surrounded by a huge group of acquaintances who really don’t have your best interest at heart. Friends who encourage you on “paths of righteousness” are your real friends.

 Psalm 18:24, “ A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

My fifth and final lesson this week is, “what satan intends for evil, God uses for good”. There was a little bump in the road this weekend and it could have turned into a huge mountain if eyes were not on God. Due to respect of privacy I can’t go into great detail of the event, but I can tell you, God is good. He tells us to bring everything into the light, have open communication, trusting each other and God, whatever comes our way. Satan only wins when we keep things in the dark, letting division and mistrust set in. God is a healer and a restorer, making things better than before. Look to Him first and foremost. “He blesses us beyond anything we could ask or even imagine”.