Bless and forget not

Jul 2, 2011 by Lancia E. Smith

Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me,

bless His holy name!

Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not [one of] all His benefits “

Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases,

Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption,

Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy;

Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good

so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]!

~ Psalm 103:1-5

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It is easy in the constant haste and pressure of my daily life to focus on the tasks at hand, the problems waiting in the queue to be solved, the voices clambering for attention and to entirely miss the beauty that is around me at every turn. At any given moment I am surrounded by more of God’s benefits to me than I can count.  Sadly, it is all too evident that I am seldom fully aware, engaged or appreciative of those benefits when left to my natural inclinations — my default setting, at it were.  Without intentionally cultivating awareness and appreciation I simply focus on what I experience as today’s need, oblivious to needs already met beyond all expectation. And here, again, the Psalmist tells me the secret to peaceful and fulfillment. Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not one of His benefits. How many times does the Lord tell me in Scripture to forget not?   Like Aslan telling Jill to remember the signs in The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis, the Lord tells me kindly, again and again, to remember, to not forget, to make memorials. He knows my frame. He knows that I am dust and that I will ever tend toward forgetting what He has done and what He has said. In the forgetting I lose my way and lose my heart in the process. Only by daily remembering His Word, His actions, His presence do I remember the truth so I can act accordingly. And only in living out of truth do I experience goodness. Today I choose — again — to see what He has done for me, to count my blessings,  and to Bless my God for His power and goodness to me.  Today I will give thanks, see beauty, entertain good cheer and look to this moment with delight. May you, friend, be able to do the same!

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