“THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT WANT.”
TODAY, I FIGURE IT’S TIME FOR ME TO PUT WOMEN BACK IN THEIR PLACE. NOW BEFORE YOU THINK I’M SEXIST, LET ME EXPLAIN.
I RAN INTO SOMEONE THE OTHER DAY, WHOM I HAVE HAD FEELINGS FOR AT ONE TIME. THIS WOMAN WAS THE FIRST PERSON I ATTEMPTED TO WANT TO DATE, SINCE MY DIVORCE. SHE DID NOT RECIPROCATE THE FEELINGS BACK. WHEN I SAW HER IN A FLUKE MEETING, IN A PARKING LOT, A STRANGE WAVE OF EMOTIONS SWEPT OVER ME AS THIS PERSON HUGGED ME EVER SO AFFECTIONATELY. I COULD SMELL HER PERFUME AND HER HAIR UPON MY FACE. IT ALL CAME BACK AND AS WE PARTED WAYS, I JUST FELT MISERABLE INSIDE BECAUSE I KNOW THAT A DEEPER RELATIONSHIP WITH HER WILL NEVER BE. I FELT LIKE LIFE WAS PLAYING A CRUEL JOKE ON ME, SINCE THIS IS SOMEONE I AM DISTANCING MYSELF FROM AS I TRY TO MOVE FORWARD IN MY JOURNEY OF HEALING. WHY DID I HAVE TO SEE HER AGAIN? IT WAS SO WEIRD. SHE IS A GREAT PERSON BUT I CAN NEVER JUST BE FRIENDS WITH HER. TODAY, I FIND MYSELF PONDERING PSALM 23. AS I STOP AND THINK ABOUT THE FIRST VERSE, I AM AGAIN REMINDED OF THIS SIMPLE TRUTH.
I MAY NOT GET WHAT I ALWAYS WANT IN LIFE BUT GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES FOR WHAT I TRULY NEED. WHATEVER HE GIVES ME IS ENOUGH TO FULLY SATISFY. FORGIVE ME LORD, WHEN I LOOK TO OTHERS, ESPECIALLY FEMALE RELATIONSHIPS, TO FULFILL ME. SO, TODAY I HAVE DECIDED TO PUT FEMALES BACK IN THEIR PLACE WHERE THEY BELONG. NO MORE PUTTING THEM ON THE PEDESTAL OF MY HEART. WHEN I DO THAT, MY HEART WILL ONLY GET DISAPPOINTED. HOWEVER, WHEN JESUS IS RIGHTFULLY ABIDING IN THE CENTER OF MY LIFE, THEN NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TO ME, MY HEART MAY HURT BUT IT WON’T FULLY BREAK BECAUSE MY HEART IS KEPT SAFE AND SECURE IN HIS LOVING HANDS. THE LORD IS OUR SHEPHERD BUT IF WE LOOK TO THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD TO LEAD US, TO BE OUR COMPASS, THEN OUR LIVES WILL FOLLOW WHATEVER OUR HEART DESIRES. WE MAY BE LED TO WHAT WE THINK IS GREEN PASTURES BUT IF WE WERE NOT LED BY HIM TO GET THERE, IT WILL NEVER TRULY FULFILL. SO, WHERE ARE YOU? HAVE YOU REPLACED JESUS AS SHEPHERD OF YOUR LIFE FOR SOMEONE ELSE OR SOMETHING IN THIS WORLD THAT WILL NEVER TRULY QUENCH YOUR THIRST? REMEMBER “THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD”. THE PRONOUN “MY” MEANS HE IS A PERSONAL GOD. HE’S APPROACHABLE, JUST GO TO HIM AND TALK ABOUT IT. SHARE YOUR FEELINGS, YOUR STRUGGLES, YOUR HURTS. HE WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT IT. GIVE UP YOUR WHOLE HEART ONCE AGAIN AND WATCH HIM LEAD YOU TO THAT QUIET PLACE OF REFRESHMENT THAT ONLY HE CAN GIVE YOU. WHEN THE LORD IS OUR SHEPHERD, WE WILL DISCOVER THAT OUR GREEN PASTURES WAS NOT JUST SOME PLACE BUT IT WAS ALWAYS JUST BEING WITH HIM.
PSALM 103:5
HE SATISFIES YOUR DESIRES WITH GOOD THINGS
SO THAT YOUR YOUTH IS RENEWED LIKE THE EAGLE’S.