Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Where Will May Find Us?

The month of May is nearing an end and I've felt very reflective the past week. Perhaps it's being back home for the summer again after 9 months away at school. And yes, the play went wonderfully and finals and post-term were good too. My GPA for the semester landed me on the Dean's list again, which is very nice indeed. I continue to strive for the President's list but content with slightly less than perfection. Greek classes start next fall so I may be content with a slightly lower GPA from here on out.

As it is after midnight it is officially the last day of May 2005. It's also my brother's birthday, Happy Birthday Bro! As the month of May comes to a close, I've been pausing to reflect on where I was last May, and the changes in my life since then. Last May I had again moved back home for the summer, and oh what a summer it was. While there are some similarities in the job and living situations, this is a much different summer. Because you see, I tasted something good this last year.

Psalm 34
1 I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. 3Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. 4I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. 5They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. 6This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 7The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.
8Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
9Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. 10The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. 11Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good?13Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit. 14Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. 15The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.

There is so much to say about this wonderful Psalm, but as I desire to sleep tonight, I will only say this, I sought the Lord, He heard me and delivered me. I truly have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. I learned a lot of lessons the hard way last summer and this past year, but God used everything for His glory. To see what God has brought me from and to is a true testimony to His amazing grace.

Psalm 40:2
1 I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. 2He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. 3He has put a new song in my mouth-- Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.

God has brought me out of the miry clay and set my feet upon the rock, and I've never been so thankful for that. I know my God in a way I never knew possible a year ago. And I still have so much to learn. This truly has been a journey of trust that I've been on, and will continue to be on for the rest of my life. I have come face to face with God in a huge way and I know that He has an amazing adventure for me. And this day-to-day life of the summer is part of that adventure. God's mercies really are new every morning, and if I'm walking with Him, no part of life is wasted. Even the hard parts and the stupid mistakes can be used of God.

And so another May has come and gone. I'm so thankful for the mundane and the grace of the past year's "adventures". For without the mundane and the mistakes, God's grace wouldn't be so necessary. So as I pause to reflect, I find myself thanking God for His grace in the past year, and praying for His wisdom in the future. And I wonder, where will next May find me? Where will it find you?
May all the Mays to come find us walking closer with the Lord.