The Wednesday Word 4.19.2023

 

Philippians 4:4-8, 12-13 NLT

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise…12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

 

I had a little hissy fit this morning over the aftermath of a household accident that occurred the other day. It was the kind of thing that happened out of the blue and caused major disruption. The amazing thing is that the damage was limited and that I sustained no injury. Astounding, as a matter of fact, considering everything that fell on me. I spent the next few days thanking God for sparing me from any real harm every time I thought about it. But that gratitude fizzled this morning. Trying to hurry through my normal routine in order to make an appointment, my frustration with the inconvenience boiled over. Ten minutes later, embarrassed and contrite, I apologized to my husband for the outburst. I quietly apologized to God for my ungrateful turn.

 

All well and good, except, God wanted to drive home the point. As I pulled out of my neighborhood on to the state route, a hearse was making its way up the hill. As is the sign of respect in many parts of our country, I pulled over to allow the cortège to pass. The message was not lost. Life on this earth is filled with twists and turns, some trivial and some momentous, in the grand scheme of things. Here I was, walking to my car, driving to join dear friends for an afternoon of sharing on a topic that I love, enjoying the beautiful spring day. I had allowed the trivial to disturb my peace. I had allowed the trivial to dominate my thoughts and overshadow the myriad blessings of my day. 

 

When we keep our perspective focused on God, the trivial remains just that. Over time, we may grow to understand that the day to day events of this life might all fall into that category. Over time, we may grow to see that it is the love and grace God has for us that really matters…something to pray about.

 

Don’t forget to look for the Lord today. Vicki H.













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