Ice Cream

Forest's mamma said life was like a box of chocolates but for me some days are like ice cream. Today was ice cream. Hard to beat the goodness of ice cream, it's the ultimate comfort food. A nice big bowl of it is bound to make you feel better, provided you can ignore the guilt about the calories.

Today was a day to make me feel better. Better than I've felt in some time. In spite of that, I came to the end of the day with the realization, or at least the perception, that I hadn't picked up any manna today. That saddened me a bit, it's been almost three weeks now since I began this quest and each day has been an adventure. There have been days when I did not intentionally go out to seek manna but when all was said and done, God had fed me.

So, why no manna today? One of my best days in some time and yet nothing from God? Somehow this didn't seem to measure up so I sat to think on it for a bit, to reflect on my day. I acted on a decision I made with the counsel of some the elders in my church. I met with a godly man from my church to seek his advice in some  areas of my life. I received an encouraging message from a friend which provided some godly and timely advice.

At that point in my reflection, the tiny bulb in the recesses of my mind lit up and I recalled Psalm 1"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."

It's kind of cool when God has me walk out what He's trying to teach me, before He gives me the scripture to go with it. A number of times through the day I couldn't help but be thankful for the godly people who God has placed in my life the last several months. I have received well intentioned counsel from various people in the last while which, while well intended, strayed from from Biblical truth and principles. In reflecting on it today, it struck me how fortunate I am to have godly people speaking truth into my life to serve as a point of reference by which to measure this well intentioned counsel.

I know I've read those verses multiple times in the past. I know I've heard sermons on the importance of godly counsel. I know I've read other scriptures which speak to this. I know that I knew this in my head, had I taken the time to think about it but it's so much more refreshing when God takes His Word and makes it alive. When He teaches it to me through application and then tops it off with His Word as if to say, I'm not teaching you anything that I haven't been teaching for years but I wanted to take the time to teach it to you individually. I wanted to show you how much you mean to me. How much I value you. I Almighty God, took the time to spend with you today so that you would know in your heart, as well as in your head, the importance of godly counsel.

Today was like ice cream, it was wonderful dessert.