Walking through the valley…
I’ve had a “mortality” day today. I just read an obituary of a friend of a friend, and it had the line “he left this earth without an enemy”. It hit me – that’s a very good way to go.
Psalm 23:1-6
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Many people think of this psalm as morbid, because they only ever hear it at funerals. But to me, it’s my psalm of hope. My cup truly runneth over. And even though I may be walking through the valley of the shadow of death, God is here to guide and comfort me. And I am so blessed.
I got thinking today about how I want to be remembered. I thought about my friend Nicole, who once she was diagnosed with cancer created a video for her girls of all the important things that she wanted them to know so they would always have a way to seek her wisdom after she passed away. I think that’s such a beautiful gift to give to someone. Unfortunately, I highly doubt my boys would be into such a thing if I were ever to get to that point. However, I find myself making lists of things I would like to leave behind. I would for sure want to write letters to my future daughters in law. The big question would be who to leave those letter with, because God knows Jeff would forget about them.
What I love about this psalm is that David (the guy who wrote it) is writing about walking through the valley of the SHADOW of death. It’s not about being on your deathbed. It’s about being afraid. Of death, of dying, of darkness – of anything, really. It’s about how no matter how dark things get, God is there to walk with us, to comfort us, to guide us, to protect us. It’s about counting your blessings and having hope.
I shall not want. I have everything I need. My heart is full. But even though I am blessed beyond all understanding, I’m still afraid. I am only 42 years old. I have another 50 to go!! I have so much to live for. I just have to walk through this valley first. Thank God I’m not alone!