Note to Self:

The wise counsel God gives when I'm awake
is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I'll stick with God;
I've got a good thing going and I'm not letting go.

Psalm 16.7-8

What is taking you away from seeking the Lord all day? Pay attention, dear, because you're missing some opportunities. There's always something, isn't there? They all seem like excuses to me. Running late. Busy at work. Errands to run. People that require attention. A home that doesn't clean itself.

But in each of those things is the element of the eternal. We just get stuck in the mud of the earthly present that we live in, and lose sight of that which is infinite. Why is it so hard to say prayers of thanks through all these things that keep us "busy"? Surprisingly, it really shouldn't be that hard, except that we battle other forces all day long. Forces that are trying to keep us out of contact with our Lord.

The Psalms are helping me slow down and explore the range of emotions that we all experience throughout our weeks. I have been reading three to five Psalms each day, and they give a well-rounded scope of life, with all its joys and trials. I read the poems of the Psalms and know that they were written long ago, and yet are completely relevant today, because the words of the past are important.

We live in the midst of God's past and future, which is why those things of the past matter. The Psalms remind me that life following God isn't all roses, sunshine, and glee. It is also the frustration of feeling alone or the feeling of God forgetting about our suffering. These are the emotional struggles being thrown at God, by the Psalmist, and God can take it all and love us all the while. Keeping the communication alive is the point, which has been reminding me to acknowledge God in everything, not just the cheerful moments, but the moments of the day where I am going through daily tasks or feel the stress rising.

This is how to stick with God, day and night.

I've got a good thing going, and I'm not letting go.