In the verses for today, the beauty in verse 4 stands out to me. My paraphrase is as follows: “I ask for and seek after one thing–to live with the Lord’s perspective housed in my mind and heart so that I may see His beauty in all.”
In theory, I can let go of all judgment and fear, replacing those with trust in the Lord. An added bonus will be that if I’m not focused on fearing the unknown or judging the “other,” I can re-adjust my lens to seeing the potential beauty in those unknown or different entities. It’s a win-win!
I realize that the verses talk about my living in the house of the Lord, and I twisted that to say I am housing the Lord’s perspective in my mind and heart. That is one way to interpret these verses. Surely, the speaker intended for the physical temple/church, the “house of the Lord” to be symbolic. We can also interpret the verses to mean that we can feel protected by realizing God’s presence surrounding us, as if we are in His house.
In the devotional entry, the author gives an example of her shopping for a physical residence that will offer peace and security. She connects that experience to David’s words in the psalm, his wanting to live in the security of God’s “house,” in God’s protection.
I am reminded of the new Disney film, Encanto. The story revolves around a magical house which bestows superhuman “gifts” on its family members and protects the surrounding community. The house represents security. When the house starts to develop some cracks, there is much concern. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, so I’ll stop my description there. (I found the film delightful, but I would have changed one thing.)
Like the family in the Encanto movie and the devotional author, I appreciate my home. But, the devotional author and I are also grateful that there is a more dependable, spiritual "house" on which to rely. We don’t have to worry about cracks in the steadfastness of the "house of the Lord"!
In the verses for today, the beauty in verse 4 stands out to me. My paraphrase is as follows: “I ask for and seek after one thing–to live with the Lord’s perspective housed in my mind and heart so that I may see His beauty in all.”
In theory, I can let go of all judgment and fear, replacing those with trust in the Lord. An added bonus will be that if I’m not focused on fearing the unknown or judging the “other,” I can re-adjust my lens to seeing the potential beauty in those unknown or different entities. It’s a win-win!
I realize that the verses talk about my living in the house of the Lord, and I twisted that to say I am housing the Lord’s perspective in my mind and heart. That is one way to interpret these verses. Surely, the speaker intended for the physical temple/church, the “house of the Lord” to be symbolic. We can also interpret the verses to mean that we can feel protected by realizing God’s presence surrounding us, as if we are in His house.
In the devotional entry, the author gives an example of her shopping for a physical residence that will offer peace and security. She connects that experience to David’s words in the psalm, his wanting to live in the security of God’s “house,” in God’s protection.
I am reminded of the new Disney film, Encanto. The story revolves around a magical house which bestows superhuman “gifts” on its family members and protects the surrounding community. The house represents security. When the house starts to develop some cracks, there is much concern. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, so I’ll stop my description there. (I found the film delightful, but I would have changed one thing.)
Like the family in the Encanto movie and the devotional author, I appreciate my home. But, the devotional author and I are also grateful that there is a more dependable, spiritual "house" on which to rely. We don’t have to worry about cracks in the steadfastness of the "house of the Lord"!