Let me add one more teaching to your life that is good to remember and teach the next generation. It’s how life works.
Very few times in your life will all systems be in a good place. Your marriage might be good and your finances good but your children rebellious. Or maybe you have great children and a great marriage but your job is rough. Or perhaps your job is great and your family great but your car has broken down. It’s how life works. Seldom are all systems in a good place and seldom are they all in a bad place.
That’s what is to remember.
When they are all in a good place it’s time to really praise and thank the Lord. Enjoy it fully!
But when it seems like every area is in a bad place, it can get really rough. Maybe your family is going through a rough time, your work and finances are shaky, your children seem to be drifting to bad places, and more. When this happens, it becomes easy to dwell on these things. And when you dwell on them, it becomes depressing to the point you can even get quite angry at God. Why, Lord?!
The crux is that these things are rooted in temporary life. When the psalmist says, “forget not all His benefits,” he then lists a bunch of benefits. These are the things that are eternal:
- He forgives all your sins
- He heals all your diseases
- He redeems your life from the Pit
- He crowns you with faithful love and compassion
- And more
When we have those seasons where every area seems like a barren, dry and dusty desert, our water is that which God has given us that cannot be taken away be people, time or circumstances. The more we meditate on these, the temporal ups and downs sway us less.
So next time you are in that season, or better yet, before you ever get there, go outside, sit in the grass and look at the stars. Remember God and all that he blesses us with.
Remember his benefits.