Everything’s OK in My World Today

Isn’t it funny how there are certain times of your life, even from a very young age, that the memory of those times seem to stick with you.  Not only do they stick with you, they are associated with feelings that you can still feel as if it were yesterday.

I am sure we all have many of them.

I remember the day my children were born and being the first one to hold them like it was yesterday even though it was 21 and 23 years ago.

I remember the first time I went out to lunch with my grandfather and I was buying.  He was a diabetic and had some heart issues.  He never was allowed to have a beer without having to hear about it.  I remember buying him a beer that day and how we enjoyed sitting there like two of the guys and no one giving him a hard time about it.  He was like a kid in a candy shop – grinning from ear to ear.  I remember the day he passed away and my grandmother answering the door and telling me “no more grampy” like it was yesterday even though it was about 30 years ago.

I remember one day when I was a child, standing at the back door of my house looking outside.  The warm summer breeze was blowing in through the screen door onto my face and I could hear other kids laughing and playing next door.  And I remember the feeling that came over me – a feeling of complete contentment and happiness.  Everything was okay in the world right at that moment.

I have been searching for that feeling ever since.  And, not to admit that I might be getting old, but even though that was probably coming up on 40 years ago at this point, I remember that day like it was yesterday.

In my life there have been good times and bad times.  There have been days of extreme happiness and profound sorrow.  But overall, even taking into account the struggles that have come up, my life has been a good one.  I don’t think anything has happened that one would think was anything other than just part of the natural up and down cycle of life.

And that is what life is – a series of up and down cycles.  Economic, health, relationships…

Even the bible tells us about these cycles in Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”

Over the years, I have continued to search for the elusive feeling of overwhelming contentment and happiness.

We will always have worries and concerns that we need to deal with.  Those will never go away, so if I am looking for that feeling to come from not having those in my life, I think I am setting myself up for disappointment.

I have found that feeling when I look for it to come from my relationship with God and knowing how much He cares for me and looks out for me.

As my relationship with God grows stronger, more and more good things have started to occur in my life and the feeling that I remember from long ago begins to reappear.  Sure, the day to day issues are still there as they will be for all of us.  Some struggles tougher than others.  But, it is through the knowledge that God is there for us that we are better able to cope with those struggles and feel as if everything is or is going to be okay.