But you, O LORD, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I cried out to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy mountain. I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me. (Psalm 3:3-5 NLT)
Do you remember being told when you were young to keep your head up and don’t let your shoulders sag? I am often reminded of that, and understand why it is so important as it reflects our countenance, and how we feel about ourselves and our surroundings.
I was walking my dog one day as I usually did, along the bottom of the lower lake at Keswick between my house and the dam. I usually enjoy looking at the water on the lake and the colors on the trees, or whatever flower is blooming wild along the shore. Maybe sensing a new fragrance in the air and discovering a new flower I haven’t seen before and taking the few moments to enjoy creation. Even keeping my eye out for the snake in a tree that my friend Sue Mahoney told me she saw there one day.
One day, I was particularly burdened about something and my eyes were on the ground, at my feet, and I wasn’t noticing anything, just going through the motions of putting one foot in front of the other. Feeling very low, my shoulders were sagging. I remembered a verse I had read in Psalms that morning. You are the one who holds my head high. I felt dejected and run down, not able to hold up my head. I realized I didn’t have to operate on my own power; my head raised and I looked around at a beautiful sunshine-filled day. I felt God saying to me, “hold up your head, I love you.” The view of my surroundings was much better when I looked up, I didn’t just see dead pine needles dropped from the trees on sand in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, but rather, evidence of life. I started to feel life creep back into me.
My perspective had changed. Peace reigned in me where turmoil had only moments before.
As you go through your day today, remember to keep looking up! And if you have trouble doing it, ask the Lord; He specializes in lifting heads!
Keep Looking UP!
Joyce HayesArtist-in-residence at America’s KeswickWriter for “Real Victory for Real Life”
365 Devotional Thoughts in the Spirit of America’s Keswick
VOLUME 2
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