Grandma's Underlined Verses

The Lord has been gracious to give us an unusually beautiful April, with so much sunshine every day to cheer our hearts. Sunrises and sunsets are truly lovely these days.

Do you notice anything amiss in the photo though, taken at the end of our driveway this evening?

The mountains are sturdy and in their usual place; the sun is setting to the west as always; the farmhouse stands firm as it has all the years we've lived next to it.

But the tree. The tree that's leaning to the right, up against the house. Do you see it?

I have a feeling that's a little bit like how some people might be feeling during this season of lockdown. You're still standing, but leaning at the same time. You may not have the same strength you once had to endure whatever is happening in your part of the world. Or you may feel like you're even about to fall over.

I've had days of that here and there during these past six weeks, feeling weary of the uncertainty of what's ahead for us. While Czech has a five step plan in place for re-opening the country by June 8, it's all dependent on if the cases of COVID-19 rise or fall; and it's dependent on how the countries around us do, in terms of opening up the borders.

I recently came across my Grandma's Bible that our family let me have when she passed away in April, 1992. I remember when I first received it, I was so captivated by the verses that she'd underlined, wondering what it was that struck her at the time to make note of certain verses. This one stood out to me when I thumbed through the pages recently, a verse that she had underlined twice!

"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:3-4

Meditating on that for the past two days has given me strength to stand up straighter, trust the Lord, and actually enjoy the safe pastures that He's given to us right now. I don't need to know the future, worry about it, or try to make sense of it. I know the One who holds it, and He is trustworthy. I've committed to do more dwelling in his land and enjoying his safe pastures, as I live in these coming days and weeks.

I think my Grandma would be glad that I too chose to underline this verse!