Plenty

It’s been awhile since I’ve last penned a gratitude post, and I find that – despite a maelstrom of question marks swirling around me – I’m generally feeling pretty content. Is everything perfect? Far from it. Do I know what will happen tomorrow? No – and come to think of it, who does, anyway? However, I’ve come to realize the truth behind this verse from Psalm 34: truly, those who trust in the Lord lack no good thing.

That’s not to say that I have everything in abundance – quite the opposite, really – there are several areas in my life where I am waiting for God to move and direct, according to His timing. However, what I’ve come to recognize (and be grateful for) is that there is nothing for my ultimate good that the Lord will ever withhold from me.

I used to take a different view, as it seemed like many others were thriving around me, and I felt like I was somehow missing out on something. I now look at things differently: I do not envy the success of others – rather, I understand that the path that the Lord has laid out for every person is unique and quite specific, and I am only meant to know my own story [this idea is fundamentally Bibical, by the way – check out the end of the book of John – around chapter 21 – to observe Jesus’s interaction with Peter about his future, Peter’s subsequent question about John’s path, and the Lord’s response].

After all, what is the point in getting all caught up in someone else’s journey – especially when doing so potentially inhibits my own progress? I’ve grown weary of standing at the side of the road and watching others pass by, wondering where they’re going and why their paths lead in different directions. Perhaps I was only ever meant to engage with them briefly, or simply observe that we were traveling on parallel (or perpenticular!) paths. Either way, I’m not meant to compare my own road with someone else’s, as doing so only leads to frustration and more questions – a lot like Peter’s situation, come to think of it.

As I mentioned in my previous post, God has pledged to meet all of our “daily bread” needs; beyond these basic things, though, He promises that when we seek Him with sincere hearts, that the Lord is not holding out on us. Put another way, He’ll always give us His very best, when He’s ready to do so, and we can rely on that with complete certainty.

Of course, how I define “best” and how the Lord defines it may be different, but I can always trust in His promises; further, I can remember that He knows exactly where I am on my journey, and that each day, He is committed to helping me make additional progress on my own road.

And that is enough. Plenty, don’t you think?