A Promise Never Broken.





Psalm 23:5-6

You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

 

Attending a private school as a child, I was often required to memorize scripture. This was a dreaded task to me because I found memorization to be quite difficult, and truthfully at that time I would have rather been playing.  How valuable that dreaded task turned out to be in my life.  Many of those scriptures are stored away in my mind and heart, and I seem to recall them when I need them the most.  Of all the scripture verses that I memorized, Psalm 23 5-6 is still one of my favorites.  

When my children were babies and toddlers, bathing them was my night time ritual.  Getting them clean and cozied into nice warm pajamas was as comforting to them as it was to me.  Before placing them in their pajamas, I would rub baby lotion all over their little heads and bodies.  To this day, I can't walk through the baby isle without remembering those sweet times.  

I imagine that I learned to care for my little ones because of the love and care that was shown to me.

My own mother had a bath time ritual for me when I was little.  When I grew old enough to bathe myself, she still helped with my hair.  I had very long hair, and she washed it for me as I laid on the counter with my head hanging over the kitchen sink.  I didn't particularly care for the resulting kink in my neck after my shampoo, but the lathering and rinsing was so soothing that it nearly made the kink worthwhile.  My mom would fill a cup with warm water and rinse my hair until all of the bubbles were gone.  With each rinse, the warm water would trickle from the top of my head to the bottom of my hair which had collected in a massive brown heap in the sink basin. 

When memorizing Psalm 23:5-6 I often thought of my mother washing my hair, her cup running over with water as she cleaned me and prepared me for the following day.  I was able to take a promise that God had (and still has) for me in the Bible and relate it to the loving representation of Him that He gave to me on earth, my mother.  Because I could make that connection, I believe, I was truly convinced that this scripture was mine, written for me, and I believed every word.  I still do.  Regardless of my circumstances, I believe, without fail, that God has anointed my head with oil and that goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.  That is my legacy direct from God, a promise never broken.  

Truthfully, this isn't a promise just for me, but for anyone who makes that connection.  Whether the connection is made as a child, or an adult, it's available for all.  How comforting to know that regardless of what this imperfect world brings, I can rest in knowing that goodness and mercy will follow all the days of my life, and that I will live in the house of the Lord for all of my days and thereafter.

Blessings!

Alicia