Wednesday, January 15, 2014

You're as Young as Your Faith

General Douglas MacArthur said,
"Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years.
People grow old by deserting their ideals.
You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt;
as young your self-confidence, as old as your fear;
as young as your hope, as old as your despair."

Wow, reading that really made me think about the difference between faith and doubt. How would living in doubt shorten a person's life? How would living in faith add to a life? When I reflect on my own life, I remember the times when fear and doubt consumed my thoughts. A black, oppressive fog consumed me. I was scared, depressed, angry and unsure. My inner voice spoke in a negative loop, constantly playing the tape that reminded me of my failures, all the painful rejections and my feeling of guilt for not being stronger. Living in this state of doubt robbed me of my joy, zest and vision.

It would be in the night, much like this beautiful night, that I would walk outside and look up at the incredible sky. On full mooned nights there would be no need for a flashlight of any kind. Like the photo above, shot without a flash, the moon provides enough light to see everything around me. 

My favorite night sky is one with no moon - only stars. Wow...just incredible....I would begin to thank the Lord for His blessings. I would force myself to think of the things I could be thankful for. I would praise Him and thank Him. Always, and without fail, I would instantly begin to feel my spirit lift. The black fog would dissipate and my heart would begin to sing. The joy of the Lord was my strength when I had no strength of my own. 

"My soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation." Psalm 35:9

1 comment:

Thank you so much for viewing my blog and taking the time to write a comment. Lord Bless! Vicki