Today I had some music playing while I was doing some things around the house, and I looked and my oldest child had my youngest by both hands and was dancing with him. The youngest is just at the age when he is beginning to be able to stand on his own and is trying to start walking. He couldn't have been smiling any bigger as they just bounced around the living room to one of their favorite songs. The thought hit me that there may come a day when I'll wish for these days again...but the Lord has given them to me today. Psalm 16:6 and Romans 8:28 talk about the same subject: that God makes everything work for the good of His children. The verse in Psalms says that "the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance." Romans 8:28 says "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Sometimes in our lives money is scarce. Sometimes unfair things happen. Sometimes we even face the possibility of death, or the death of someone else whose place we would gladly take if we could. Sometimes it's nothing more than a hard day, but the fact remains that the Lord is good and that He works everything for the good of His people.

One of the first CD's I ever had was Wayne Watson's A Beautiful Place. The song "A Beautiful Place" from that album has always stayed with me even though I don't think I've heard it in at least 15 years. (One of Contemporary Christian Music's tragic downfalls is that once a song ages past about seven years "they" apparently destroy all record that it ever existed.) However, as long as I live without suffering too severe a blow to my head the lyrics of that song will live, along with those to Johnny Horton's "The Battle of New Orleans." "Mistakes and Misfortunes will come and go

But to try and to fail is no disgrace

Sometimes a rough and a rocky road

Can take you to a beautiful place"