Saturday 4/7/18 6:30 AM
Last night Jaci and I went out for dinner. We were driving
west as we returned home, and the sun painted cloud bellies various shades of
yellow, orange, pink, and purple despite the fact that it was already below the
horizon. Silhouettes of trees, the smells of spring, and the sounds of singing
birds attacked my senses as I drove with open windows. I commented to Jaci what
a marvelous world it is in which we are privileged to live. It is almost as if God
is trying to overload our senses with amazing sights, sounds, and aromas just
to show how much he loves us.
Today I read my psalm for the week, Psalm 23, complete with
its images of green pastures, quiet waters, refreshed souls, prepared tables,
and overflowing cups. My thoughts harkened back to our drive home last night
and I stopped to thank God for this marvelous world. I also read these words
from The House of the Soul and Concerning
the Inner Life, by Evelyn Underhill. “Consider that wonderful world of life
in which you are placed, and observe that its great rhythms of birth, growth
and death – all the things that really matter – are not in your control. That unhurried
process will go forward in its stately beauty, little affected by your anxious
fuss. Find out, then, where your treasure really is. Discern substance from
accident. Don’t confuse your meals with your life, and your clothes with your
body. Don’t lose your head over what perishes. Nearly everything does perish:
so face the facts, don’t rush after the transient and unreal. Maintain your
soul in tranquil dependence on God; don’t worry; don’t mistake what you possess
for what you are. Accumulating things is useless.”
Over the course of the past couple of months I have been
considering my retirement from teaching, which will more than likely happen within
five or six years, the Lord willing. I look at my investments and pensions and
wonder if I will have enough to live. Underhill’s words and the evidence of God’s
care for this world that pummels my senses should be enough to convince me to
sit back, relax, and trust God to provide. The real question, of course, is
will I be convinced by the evidence or not?
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