August 9th

Psalm 147

            Praise the Lord!  How good to sing praises to our God!  How delightful and how fitting!  The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing the exiles back to Israel.  He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.  He counts the stars and calls them all by name.  How great is our Lord!  His power is absolute!  His understanding is beyond comprehension!

            The Lord supports the humble, but he brings the wicked down into the dust.  Sing out your thanks to the word; sing praises to our God is a harp.  He covers the heavens with clouds, provides rain for the earth, and makes the grass grow in mountain pastures.  He gives food to the wild animals and feeds the young ravens when they cry.  He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might.  No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Psalm 147: 1-11

           

            I forget.

            So often I forget how good life is…how good God is…how good it is to have my son in my life.  This is not just about remembering that there are people out there whose lives are harder.  This is not just about avoiding complaining because other people have it worse.  This is about remembering that this life that we have been given is good and rich and full of laughter and wonder and joy.

            It is easy to lose track of the goodness because there are so many obstacles to overcome…so many hurdles left to clear…so many goals to achieve.  Look at the Psalmist’s words above.  He observes the world around him and cannot contain the smile that spreads across his face.  The stars that cover the night-time sky?  God knows their names and has counted each and every one of them.  The clouds that darken the day?  God made them and He uses them to feed the earth.  The grass that blows in the breeze?  God made all of that…every single blade and He makes sure that it continues to grow so that he can care for the wild animals and birds of the air.  This entire world that surrounds us is a testimony to God’s power and His imagination and His creativity and His goodness.

            And this God of power knows my name.  He knows the struggles of the poor.  He knows the daily grind of the marginalized and the defeated.  And instead of looking on the weak with contempt, the Lord God reaches down into this magnificent world that He has made and binds up the wounded and comforts the broken-hearted.  He restores the broken cities and lifts up those who have been crushed by this life.  God is powerful and He is compassionate and He is Good and the writer can not keep from singing His praises.  Our God is good; who would not want to celebrate that?

            Our life is also good.  Yes, there are struggles.  Yes, there are times where I raise my voice at my son because he is driving me insane.  Yes, there are benchmarks that he has not reached that his typical peers achieved a decade ago.  All this is true.

            But my life with my boy is filled with laughter and wonder on a daily basis.  He inspires me to become a better father and a better man more than any other person that I have met.  I love his creativity.  I love his tender heart.  I love his incredible memory and accumulation of random facts.  I love that he loves Jesus.  Our days of him being a kid are rapidly ending.  Our days of him living in our home are probably getting short as well.  When he moves out, the house will be darker and less full of life…and that realization is incredible to me.  It is so easy to focus on the challenges and the work and the struggle and the lack of sleep…but this life that I have been given is good.  So good.  It is a miraculous-tell everyone that I know-can’t keep it to myself kind of good.

            Sing.  Celebrate.  Laugh and cry and fall into wonder over the amazing gift that you have been given…for it is so good.

A moment to reflect:

What makes your life good?  Thank God and have a small celebration.