"The steps of a man are established by the Lord; and He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; because the Lord is the One who holds his hands." Psalms 37: 23-24
We used to have a small pond of Oranda goldfishes. Two of them in particular caught my attention. One red Oranda had a slice of its long broad tail bitten off. The poor thing was unable to swim properly. It was a struggle for it to stay afloat and to fight for food amongst seven other goldfishes. Yet it was feisty fish and was determined to have its space within the pond. For this red one, life is a struggle.
The other was a silver Oranda with a red cap which Pat called the Cardinal. In contrast it swam gracefully and effortlessly, spreading fins and its broad and long flowing tail. When I watched these two fishes, I long for that gracefulness of the cardinal and yet I best identify with the struggle of the red Oranda.
What has life in store for us? Is it one of struggle instead of graceful peace? What does God require of us? The Bible in Micah 6:8 answered this question "He has showed you, O man, what is good and what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." God requires from us, not just the usual outward show and outcomes of Christian witness but the depth of inner character. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ says the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”. God has our best interest at heart.
Kent Nerburn wrote a book entitled 'The Hidden Beauty of Everyday Life' which is a series of short essays of inspirational anecdotes of everyday experiences and seeing the sublime within each experience (Ref 1). Nerburn wrote:
To those who find God in the ordinary moments
Who know that life has meaning beyond the simple acts that make up our ordinary days
Who feel the presence of God in the trees and the grasses and a baby's helpless cries,
in the loneliness of the elderly, the love of young couples, the good work of the labourers, in the silence of the night
Who are moved to tears by the kind act or caring word
Who stop to help the weak rather than seek the favour of the strong
We were taught when we first became Christians that we should live our lives counting our blessings. There is an old familiar folk song call Count your Blessings which encourages us to go through each day with inner quiet, peace and strength
Count your blessings one by one
When dawn appears and day has just begun
They will light your heart with happiness
Make each hour bright and bring you gladness
Count your blessings one by one
When twilight falls and toil of day is done
And in sweet dreams they'll come again to you
If you will count your blessings each day through
Count your blessings while you may
For we are here with little time to stay
All around are hearts sincere and true
Lovely things abound just waiting for you
Count your blessings while you may
The big or small which ever comes your way
For then you'll find this world a place of love
If you will count your blessings from above
To be sure, God has not promised skies always blue and there will be difficulties and challenges ahead. Whatever life may throw at us, we are asked to walk humbly with our God. In the overall scheme of things, life need not be a struggle.
Lionel
Ref 1. Kent Nerburn. The Hidden Beauty of Everyday Life. New World Library June 2006/
1st published 14 Jul 2007
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