I remember driving to church one Sunday morning and seeing an old man on one of the side streets behind the church. He was barefoot, shirtless, wearing only a pair of pants that stopped mid-calf. He was leaning on a cane. What made me curious about him was that he was carrying a frisbee. You don’t often see old men leaning on canes carrying frisbees.
Then I noticed there was someone else in the picture … a black and white furball that came running around the corner, bouncing up and down urging the old man to throw the frisbee. Leaning on his cane, the old man reared back and threw the frisbee down the side street. With great joy, the dog sped after it. It seemed this was a familiar routine for both. Watching them made me smile. I thought of the joy that can be found in the most simple of pleasures.
“Lord, you are my portion and my cup of blessing, you hold my future. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places: indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance …. You reveal the path of life to me, in your presence is abundant joy, at your right hand are eternal pleasures.” [Psalm 16:5, 11 HCSB]
Across my almost 76 years, I have experienced trials, just like most of us. Yet, despite trials, my life has been resplendent with pleasures. The greatest of these have been the simple ones, and perhaps none so great as simply experiencing the presence of the LORD amid the trials. There were times when I felt as if God had pulled me onto His great lap and hugged me, wiping away my tears and softly whispering that He was with me and always would be.
And to know that the “lines have fallen for me in pleasant places,” that God has given me salvation and a promised inheritance is the best pleasure of all.
