Being and Keeping Glad!

Well what do you know, it’s Friday and here in northern California the day has broken with sunny clear blue skies, with a fresh scent of spring in the air and the promise of a great day culminating in temperatures of about 84 degrees.  It truly is the day that the Lord has made, and I am choosing to rejoice and be glad in it!  (Psalm 118:24)  But, was it like this from the get-go today?  Are there dark clouds looming just over the horizon?

Last night I received a call from my Mom stating that my Dad had fallen down and she asked if I could come over and help get him up.  This is the second call of this nature this week.  While I also have a brother and sister in the area, I live the closest and have told my Mom to call me whenever she needs any assistance.  This was one of the many reasons why we wanted to live where we do. 

As I was helping my wife to get ready to go, the home phone rang again.  It was my Mom calling back to let me know that she, with the help of their evening care-giver, was able to get my Dad up and to bed.  I spoke to the care-giver and once we were assured that all was fine it was decided that we did not need to go over after all.  Needless to say, I have been increasingly concerned with the growing health needs of my folks.  These concerns along with my wife’s needs can tend to take a toll on one’s emotional well-being.  The movie that we happened to be watching when my mother had called was centered around a family on a large range in the middle of Wyoming.  If you’ve been reading this blog for very long then you know of my deep affection for wide open meadows and beautiful mountain ranges.  This particular movie was filled with panoramic scenes of grandeur!

When we finally sat back down and resumed watching the movie, I was suddenly overtaken with the beauty that was set before me on the screen and the STRONG desire to be right there in the middle of all that tranquility.  It was one of those times when one has to choose between falling apart and giving into the temptations of defeat and self pity or to firmly reestablish the foundation of your stand on the unfailing truth of God’s word.  I wisely chose the later of those two decisions.

This morning as I completed a wonderful time of study and fellowship with the Lord, I arose from my desk , drew open the blinds and opened one of the windows in my study so that I could just absorb the quiet stillness of the beautiful day.  I had no sooner opened the window when the loud penetrating sound of a large professional mower suddenly erupted as the lawn crew appeared from around the corner and began doing their work outside my window!  With a laugh I quickly closed the window and determined to not let my peace and my joy be disturbed.  

Well, that peace was once again threatened about five minutes later when I called my Mom to see how she and my Dad were doing.  She reported that she thought that my Dad may have broken his hip in the fall last night.  While I tended not to believe this was what had happened, I was nonetheless concerned about getting a medical viewpoint on the situation.  To make a long story short, my Dad has been taken to the emergency room where they are performing the necessary tests to determine the cause of the pain he is feeling.  The Paramedics who came to the house did not think that it was broken.

So what’s my point on all this?  In the midst of every potential bad report that has been coming in, I am still choosing to rejoice and be glad!  I have decided to be like the man described in Psalm 112:7 where it says that ‘He is not afraid of bad news.  His heart remains secure, full of confidence in the Lord.”  (God’s Word ©)  The results of my day today are firmly settled and fixed in the Word of the living God, after all, it isn’t called the “Good News” for nothing!

What decision are you going to make today?  Whose words are you going to allow to direct the outcome of your day?  Will it truly be the day that the Lord has made?  Will you be able to rejoice and be glad?  No matter what I need to do today, I am still going to enjoy the beauty that the Lord has set forth on this wonderful spring day… and I expect that you will do the same!  Have a great weekend, stay in tune to His word, and keep asking yourself… “What GOOD THINGS am I expecting today?”