Chasing Solomon

Are things calm for you today?

“Chasing Solomon” was written as a tribute to my grandmother, Dee. Among all the ways her life could be characterized, calm would have to be high on the list. In spite of whatever turmoil was around her, she always remained calm. Ninety eight years of being calm. It’s hard to imagine. Once again I am finding myself thankful for a grandmother who insisted that I memorized the 23rd Psalm as a young boy. Throughout the years, I find peace in the words of this Psalm.

It seems like every direction I turn these days, there is an almost overwhelming “noise” of life. Take the current events taking place in the economy. Days are filled with Wall Street Journal articles of negative news and despair. Turn on the cable business channels and you feel like screaming “SHUT UP!” as a half dozen pundits share their thoughts about the economy simultaneously.

We are entering a new presidential administration in which a new leader has emerged. I find myself wanting to know what the experts have to say about what the future of America holds. But when I tune in to the news, I find everything but a calm assurance.

I watch and listen to these elected and appointed leaders, but for some reason, I don’t end up feeling calm.

Maybe the calm is on its way as we approach the holiday season. Right. The thought alone of County Line Road traffic makes me feel sick.

In the midst of these and all the other conflicts we face in life, the good news is that there is rest. I find myself going back to the words of David in the 23rd Psalm. I find the calm that I am searching for not in the words of the Psalm but in the Good Shepherd of the Psalm.

David makes a profound statement in the first verse of Psalm 23, “The Lord is MY shepherd.” We find the calm of life when we follow the Good Shepherd of life, Jesus Christ. He is the one who leads us besides the still waters. He is the one who makes us lie down in green pastures. He is the one who restores my soul.

I find over and over again that the Good Shepherd knows what He is doing when he makes me lie down in green pastures. Wherever that “green pasture” is for you, listen to the Good Shepherd when He tells you to find that quiet place. Maybe he is leading you or your family to a quiet, “green pasture” of turning off the TV, dropping a few activities, or making time for your daily quiet time. Follow Him every day of your life. As we do, we once again find that He restores our souls.

Find the calm that restores a soul; not in the words of a Psalm but in a relationship with the Good Shepherd of the Psalm.