Some Days Are Diamonds

As you could probably guess by my post, yesterday was a tough day. It doesn't matter why, it just was. Today isn't feeling much better. And whenever I am stressed beyond what my mind can take in, I go to the Psalms. I think that most of them were written when people were stressed, hurting, freaked out, or experiencing some other heightened emotion. And perhaps that is why when I feel like that, I find that they bring peace to my troubled heart.

Today I read Psalm 3. Starting in verse three it says, "But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustains me."

I didn't sleep peacefully, or fitfully. I had trouble falling asleep, and even in my sleep, my thoughts invaded my dreams. But I lay down and slept, and I awoke, for the Lord sustains me. I went to bed. I slept. I survived the night. Life continues because the Lord ordained that it would. And with the morning comes perspective. Not total cleansing. Not total healing. But perspective. It is a new day. A new day to seek God for understanding. A new day to think my thoughts but through the filter of Christ's shed blood.

And though I still feel like an earthquake is going on inside my body, this is what the Lord says to me: (Psalm 4:4-5) "Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and trust in the Lord."

He knows the feelings that still seem crushing to my heart. He knows the anxiety that I feel, but he gives me both a warning and an assurance . . . "Tremble and do not sin, meditate in your heart, be still and trust me, Carol."

So maybe I should go back to bed. Because verse 8 says, "In peace, I will both lie down and sleep. For you alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety."

All that to say, some days are diamonds, and diamonds take time to form. But I like diamonds, so I am willing to wait.