Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  Psalm 23:1-2

I am not a painter.  I may be a writer, dog trainer or sewer (seamstress?) but I am not a painter.  I had such success last weekend creating new room designs that I thought I would continue it by redoing a few pieces of old furniture.  I tried to make an old end table of my grandmother’s look more like an antique (really?!) and paint it white before applying an “antique glaze”.  Though I sanded the table the last person to refinish it must have used an oil base stain.  Now the table looks like a sunburned tourist with peeling strips of white.  So, I sanded it again and repainted it only to have it blister a second time.  Should have used sunscreen Mr. Table.  Oh, well.  It is not near as bad as what I discovered thinking I could restore a chair of my grandmother’s this weekend.  It has been rotting in the attic, and since I found the perfect material to cover it, I pulled all the old fabric off only to discover that the fabric was holding the chair together.  The wood pegs in the frame came apart.  The chair is now in pieces with some perfectly lovely arms and legs separated by rusting metal springs, webbing and what looks gruesomely like horse hair.  Back to the drawing board.  I don’t often write about my failures, particularly on Facebook.  I write about the things that make me happy and that does not include the stressful moments (unless they involve others).   Some people may have the incorrect assumption that I think I am “all that” (and a bucket of something, what is the phrase?)   No, life is not always perfect.  Some weeks are better than others.  I don’t write about the MRI and lab results, the half of cherry pie I ate, the fights with my spouse, the dog hair covered sofas.  My theme song for the week just past is sung to the last few bars of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”:  Four broken teeth, three new tires, two water leaks and a fire in the dri-i-i-er.   No, I don’t write about the events or people that make me grit my teeth so tightly that the dentist discovered three broken crowns and a filling during a routine visit this week.  Combined with the three new tires to replace bald ones, and the water leaks from an as of yet undiscovered source that will require new flooring and a plumber on retainer, our bank account took a huge hit this week.  Fortunately, Glen not only put out the fire, but fixed the drier, but word to the wise, don’t leave your drier running when you aren’t home.  In times like these, I meditate on Psalm 23 which I rewrote in my own words.  I say it over and over in the night when worry threatens to overtake me.  Here it is for any of you who are also not perfect.   If any of you are still reading.

Psalm 23

When I let God be in charge of my life, I can trust Him like a shepherd with His sheep.

There is nothing I need; not cookies or ice cream or candy, not clothes or jewelry or books.

Though there are many things I want, I need nothing but Him to be content.

He knows what I need to be at peace.

Only He can give me satisfaction and completeness.

When I follow Him in obedience, it is He who is glorified in my life, not me.

Life is full of turmoil and hardship, even to the point of death.

But, I do not need to be afraid.

Because, He is with me.

He guides and keeps me safe.  When He is in charge, I can relax.

When I am under attack, God says, “Don’t be afraid!  Let’s have a party!”

He tells everyone that I am His chosen child.

In Him, I have more than I need.

His blessings and love will last throughout life on this earth.

And into eternity.