Only God could give peace and joy that we truly crave. How can I explain that to someone who has never experienced it? First, they would need to be in the position to receive and be willing to believe that He is real, The Great I Am.  

These days we’re either too distracted or too focused on what offends us to focus on the present. I admit I was once this way. I spent way too much time trying to hold on to what little authenticity I thought I had, that in the middle of it I lost my way and became almost unrecognizable in the mirror. There were days I didn’t know if I even had an inkling of a chance for the future I wanted. And the future I thought I wanted doesn’t even hold a candle to the eternity or the future I have begun to imagine. It was like an endless goose chase, and I didn’t even know what I was looking for, until I returned to God. So it doesn’t matter who is sitting in The White House, when the King of the universe is on my side.   

We really are like lost sheep. At times too scared to take a drink from the water we so desperately need and desperately crave to keep going. And sheep need a shepherd. They will literally walk right off a cliff like a little child. I bet you can think of foolish mistakes you made in the past and wondered, why did I do that? What was I thinking? It’s powerful when you look at Psalms 23 from a new perspective. I challenge you to read it again with an open mind, and truly understand it line by line. 

I like the New Living Translation the best, and even the New King James Version if you want to be more regal, but if one version doesn’t convince you, try the Amplified Bible for a more in-depth translation. You might be surprised at how this one change can transform your understanding of the Bible. 

King David went through a lot of emotions we still face today. That should tell us a lot right there how humans go through the same cycles, emotions, and behaviors, even from the beginning of time. David started as a shepherd boy, was overlooked, envied, and hated on, hid in a cave from his enemies, a man after God’s own heart, and yet in his humanity, even while being a king, he still made grave mistakes. God quickly reminded him who the true Shepherd is. Yet David still cried out to God in many ways, and he never wavered from the truth. That truth is found in Jesus, the true King of the universe. 

Part of my story is like David, only I’m not living in a palace with a city named after me. I have felt isolated and hidden, in desperate situations, crying out to God, feeling lost and forgotten, trying to survive, instead of thriving. When we’re trying to survive, we can’t truly enjoy the present. We forget how to just be, much less be who God created us to be, and that’s one with Him. 

We’re so busy adding on layers on the outside to survive and be happy when the real life is on the inside of us. That’s what the life of toiling is, trying to survive constantly thinking about money or the wrong thing, or just trying to survive for that day or that week. We can’t continue being foolish, that’s the worse thing you can be in life, knowing the decision you’re about to make is wrong, and doing it anyway. And that’s when you’re too distracted to slow down, and the enemy comes in like a lion, seeking whom he can devour. How can you enjoy the present or be hopeful for the future when you’re toiling? 

What if the season you’re in is the preparation or discipline for something new? It could be something more than you would ever ask, think, or imagine. Don’t pass out in triage when you’re carrying something precious. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness, and ALL these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) Discipline isn’t meant to be fun. 

But you can have joy walking with God until it’s your time to shine. Scripture also says, “taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8) Well, how would you know unless you take a bite? Think of all the beautiful constellations and stars in the sky. Astronomy NOT astrology. The Orion Constellation is one of the most beautiful to me. I remember dreaming of places I could go where I could see a night sky full of stars, because I haven’t seen one in years. Then I saw Orion last month outside my window for the first time ever, and it was ENORMOUS. And real stars don’t compete, then shine. They exist. They just be.