Oh Those Barkin' Dawgs!
Psalm 23:1-3 -- "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul."
The designated make-up artist for my niece on her wedding day meant that I had been stationed at Winterbourne since noon - and the clock was now merrily dancing it's way past seven. I looked down at my feet, sure that they were the size of watermelons, but they looked like they always did. Just feet. But oh where those dawgs a' barkin'! Reassured that my tender tootsies were NOT, actually falling off I enjoyed the happy glow of festive lights dancing in the wind that whipped up off the Saint Johns River. This place and it's rich southern charm, etched deeply by a hundred years of Florida history - was picture perfect.
I know there are those out there that will grumble at the mere mention of having to attend a wedding - but to me - there is nothing that lifts the spirit like the festive union of one soul to another. Like opening a freshly released book by a favorite author, the crisp start of a new adventure with a cherished kindred spirit is all joy. Ripe with promise, watching a new story unfold is very much like planting a seed and nurturing it, growing it, loving it to life and then smiling with pride as it blooms to bear fruit. It's refreshing. Digging deep into the grumpy and cynical part of human nature, a wedding tugs on our hope strings and restores the soul.
As the old wicker rocker creaked on the ancient wooden slats beneath me and I reveled in the warm glow of 19th century crystal chandeliers, I thought of Psalms.
In what is perhaps the most well-known Psalm in the Bible, Psalm 23 expresses true comfort in our Lord from the heart of a shepherd. Most of us have heard the passage so often that some of the subtle truths might go unnoticed or at the very least, are taken for granted. For example, the shepherd in these verses "makes" his sheep lie down in green pastures. There are times in our lives when we are so caught up in life - we might not recognize our need for spiritual nourishment in lush places - so our Shepherd leads us there. He provides what we need in moments when we might not be able to distinguish need from want. Or in moments when the chaos of everyday confuses us and causes us to loose our footing, our Shepherd "makes" us take pause and lie down for a bit. Looking at the hill below Winterbourne, lush with green grass and all lit up by Christmas lights, I could see how lying there would be wonderful. The body could take a moment to catch it's breath while cool grass cushioned and the sound of the waves in the Saint Johns River gently hitting the bulkhead echoed off the cypress trees.
In a raging life bombarded with the cacophonous turmoils that crash around us like angry waves in a boiling sea, it's wonderful to know our Shepherd will lead us beside still waters. One of my most cherished child-hood memories takes me to the gently rolling streams of Bedrock Creek at Mount Carmel in the Philippines. While my fellow M.K's were running around hiking mountains and shimmying up coconut trees, it was nice sometimes to climb out on the rocks and listen to the creek gurgle all around me. With my back flat against the large boulders I could look up through the trees and watch the clouds roll by. It was a beautiful spot where I could just be still and "know the He is God."My favorite part of this Psalm is verse 3; He restores my soul.
Feeling the beat of the music in the floorboards, I couldn't help but tap my foot along with the rhythm. The effervescent lilt of my niece's laughter danced in the air as she cut a rug with her brand new hubby. THIS is JOY. One generation huddled around good food and even better company as the younger generation embarks on the beginning of their own story - the collection of family - and old friends that might as well be called family - could not better define the word - RESTORATION.
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