It’s Gonna Be Okay
One of my best friends gave me a fresh journal this summer. The cover holds the following statement:
“IT’S GONNA BE OKAY: A journal to reassure myself when I’m overwhelmed by the creeping sense of impending disaster and the all-encompassing fears both specified and vague that colonize my mind, body, and soul, all of which, from the completely far-fetched to the sometimes probable, do me no good to contemplate and in fact make me miserable, and even though optimism may be unself-aware and ill-placed, I know I’ll be happier as a blind fool than as a clairvoyant apocalyptic.”
Yes.
Fatalistic thinking is all to easy and comfortable for me. Years of honed practice can do that. I’ve been thinking about how fatalism and worrying leads me out of today. Worries and fears almost always have to do with the past or the future.
This happened, and now everything’s ruined…
or
This COULD happen, and if it does, everything’s ruined…
The reality is that right now, in this present moment, all is okay. I am alive. I have what I need. And the present moment is the only place where I have the power to do anything. To make decisions that can truly enact meaningful change.
In preparing for Sunday’s lectionary readings, our family’s been reading Psalm 84. It’s a psalm that calls me back to living today and resting in God’s presence. We’ve reflected on how our praise of and trust in God are intertwined. We most readily praise God when our trust in God and God’s promises are secure. God’s presence is the place where we rest, find strength, and gain perspective. And when we are in the midst of praise, we are grounded in the “now.” We are focused on God and God’s goodness to us, rather than what has been lost or what could befall us.
A life of praise and trust powerfully counters a life of fatalism and worry.
A life of praise and trust keeps me in today.
“…those who trust in You are truly happy…” ~ Psalm 84:12
Thanks for sharing Psalm 84—I reread it too, and noted that I had a note when I also read it in the lectionary scriptures before Clyde Ackerman passed on—he opened the door at First Pres. as you may remember—I read it to him days before he passed on at Good Sam Village in Rm. 400. He was truly a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord. Also Eph. 6:10-20 has some good directives for us. Blessings, Gene
What a beautiful story and testimony to your ministry and to God’s faithfulness. Thanks for pointing me to Ephesians 6. Another rich text. God’s abiding peace and hope to you, Gene!