GOD'S LOVINGKINDNESS" BY RANDALL J. BREWER
Amazing, isn’t it? Time just keeps on flying by whether you are on board the good ship of life or not. It waits for no man and if one is not careful they can fall overboard and miss out on all that life has to offer. A good life is too precious a gift to waste but that is precisely what is happening to millions of people around the world. Stress, fear, bitterness, hatred, doubt, and worry are but a few of the things that rob from people the joy of seeing a beautiful sunset or the glory of a tree sprouting it’s leaves in the springtime.
More times than not these people make Everest-size problems out of the smallest of molehills and this steals from these pessimistic thinkers the freedom it takes to appreciate the finer things in life. They say they’ll wait until all their problems are solved before they’ll concentrate on being happy. These people are in for a long wait because problems will never go away, not in this lifetime anyway. People need to stop and smell the roses without complaining about the thorns that are attached to them. Just as every cloud has a silver lining so is there something good in every arena of life.
Sometimes you have to look for the blessing but surely it is there if you can get past the roadblock of complaining because life is not always going the way you think it should. Do not allow circumstances to rain on your parade. Life is what you make it so play the hand you’ve been dealt and go on living. Remember, life does not owe you anything but most definitely you owe everything to life.
I made a vow many years ago to enjoy life and I have done just that. I am truly a blessed man. Today, however, there is something slightly different in my attitude than in times past. Down in my spirit there is an urgency telling me to enjoy life even more. I am to begin living the lifestyle of royalty because, after all, I am the child of the King. Something inside of me is saying to start using those nice china dishes we have displayed in the cabinet and throw away those garage sale plates we use day to day. Why should I wait until Sunday to wear my best clothes when I have enough to dress up and look nice every day of the week?
I am not talking about getting materialistic here. I am talking about getting the most out of what life has to offer. Ps. 16:11 says, “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” We can also read in Ps. 68:19a, “Blessed be the Lord Who daily loads us with benefits…” My spirit is telling me to live life to the fullest and take absolutely nothing for granted. I am to enjoy that sunset and all the tall trees that are in my yard even more than I’ve been doing.
When I obey that inner voice and do this I find myself being more thankful to the good Lord for all His blessings and this in turn draws me closer to Him. The more you enjoy life the deeper your relationship will be with God and the closer you are to Him the more you will enjoy life. Jesus once said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6). I believe the key to living a rich, full life is to see Jesus in everything that blesses you. Allow me to give you an example of what I mean.
A few minutes ago when I woke up I did what I always do. I took a minute and listened to the beautiful sound of the chirping birds outside my window. It was heavenly! I can’t think of a better way to start the day. Even a steaming cup of hot coffee will have to take second place to the mourning dove and her singing friends. As I lay there a thought crossed my mind. Those birds have no idea what my circumstances are or what kind of a day I’m going to have. But still, every morning, they sing those wonderful melodies. Through good days and bad, those birds are always chirping away. Tell me, shouldn’t we be the same way? Shouldn’t we also have a melody in our hearts at all times? Shouldn’t we make the most of every day the Lord gives us?
As a child I had puzzles that had a picture with different objects hidden in them. The object of the game was to find the things hidden in the picture. For example, a chair may have a spoon for a leg and a tree may have a baseball bat for a branch. This is how it is with blessings. The blessings are in the big picture of life if you will only take the time to locate them. A scrooge will wake up and say, “Why don’t those birds shut up so I can get some sleep?” Not me. I got blessed and he didn’t. I wake up and thank the Lord for giving me a moment to listen to “nature’s symphony”! This means that every morning I wake up to a blessing. My day always gets off on the right foot and blessings such as this follow me throughout the day.
David wrote in Ps. 143:8a, “Cause me to hear Your loving kindness in the morning…” This is what I’m saying. The melody those chirping birds sing every morning is an expression of God’s loving kindness just as are the other things that bless you throughout the day. The blessings are there if you will just slow down enough to take notice of them. Stop what you’re doing for a moment and look around you. You may be surprised at all the blessings that are there staring you right in the face. Give God the glory for what you see because it is an expression of His loving kindness.