“Preach to the bereaved and you will always have an audience,” is a statement that I read years ago. I have since lost the name of the author, but I have thanked him many times when I was sharing my faith through my writings.
Bereavement of course includes loss of so many things…spouses, children, friends, jobs, homes and even life styles.
But God has instructed us “in all things give thanks”. That is a tough one at times but I found a better understanding of that in a recent daily meditation I have by Roy Lessin, called “His footsteps, my pathway.”
He takes Psalm 92:10 (I have been anointed with fresh oil) and works it into the idea of each new day having new blessings.
When I get nostalgic and remember “the good old days”, when Harry and I had so many happy years together, I remind myself that those were yestesterday’s blessings.
But God is not selfish. He showers us with today’s blessings too, if we can just get past our obsessions about yesterday.
Yes, my babies blessed me when they were tiny. That blessing is gone and in its place are the blessings of mature women. My grandchildren too are grown. How I loved telling them stories and taking them for adventures across to the park but today’s blessing is watching them achieve their goals in life…and watching their children go through the delightful baby stages.
But today is a new page in the book of life and each morning God beckons and calls us to stay alert. He has a plan for this very day and you are included in it.
Being anointed with fresh oil (as described in the Psalms) is like having a warm shower. It gives you a brand new start to the day. God doesn’t want us to drag the past along like a sodden knapsack…good memories are great but today is His gift to you…open it up and enjoy!
