"Pleasant and Desirable"

"That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:" (Psalms 144:12)

  There are a couple of phrases that I have heard repeated several times over the last few days, one was, "Nothing happens in a Vacuum," and the other was, "What you don't know can't hurt you." If you cannot change what is going on around you, then it is probably time to change yourself; the way you look at things, or don't, might be your problem. Is the glass half empty, or is it half full? Not that it really makes that much of a difference, but there is an old song by one of the first Bands that I bought an album to listen, "Who'll can't stop the rain," was one of the things I remember from it; that, and the song, "Bad moon rising." Two things that are just what you must deal with, because you really cannot do anything about. The whole point of this is really quite simple: Stop trying to stop the things that you can do nothing about, and focus your attention upon the things you are able to do! I may not be able to stop anyone from doing what is bad for them to do; but I can pray for them and do as much as I can to help influence them into the right direction. There is a little something that they like to call, "turning a blind eye," which in the case of judging others, it is important to consider the impact of how you approach the matter; because there is another little something, called, "turning a deaf ear." Don't get me wrong, if anyone is guilty of this, it is me! I have several things I wish I could do over, focusing of my son's bad qualities, instead of lifting him up for the good qualities, is about the worst thing that I could have done. Blame it on the lack of patience, if you will; but in all honesty, I would blame it on the lack of commitment and love. I guess if you are going to place this into a picture, something that is easy to look at and figure out what the artist had in mind; then it would look like the description given, where you sons are plants: fertile and pleasant to look upon, actually able to be considered good; versus bad, such as weeds, which just get in the way and choke out all that is good. And your beautiful daughters, are just that, polished stones that are set upon the corners of a palace, as the example of motherhood and nurturing, a future refuge and a home. Sometimes it is best to just focus upon what you want to see, not what you think that you see...

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Philippians 4:8)