Let's be honest. The human experience can be tough. It is full of ups and downs. I often think of this Calvin and Hobbes storyline where their house was broken into while out of town. Calvin is concerned because the TV was stolen. His parents are shown in the final strip, laying in bed, and talking about the whole situation. The Dad looks over to the Mom and says, "When I was a kid, I just assumed my parents had it all together. Now I know they were winging it the whole time."

I often think of this story when I think about life. The way that we move through all of our situations speaks deeply to who we are, and who we are turning into.

The Psalms have provided comfort and encouragement for thousands of years. In some ways, we see them as the book of the bible that stretches across time better than anything. We can find ourselves in the Psalms.

This Sunday we are going to think about letting the psalms be part of our road map, and we will be doing this by looking at sections out of Psalm 18. It was written by David during a time in his life when he was pursued by King Saul. The middle part of the Psalm really helps us put things into perspective.

He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the Lord supported me. He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me. The Lord rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence. For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not turned from my God to follow evil. I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees. I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin. The Lord rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence.

Psalm 18:16-24

I think life can be divided up in a few categories.

The Good. Well, we know what to do with this one. Life is great, we don't have any worries. We finger cross that it can stay like this longer than it does usually.

The Bad. We know it is coming. It always happens. For some of us it seems to happen more often. The thing is, I think the way we act and respond during these seasons tells a pretty accurate story about who we really are.

The Hopeful. In our cynical and anxious world we live in now, I think the biggest yearning we have from Jesus is not necessarily love, but hope. How does hope help us cut a straight path through the rough terrain of life?

I'm excited to have these conversations with you this weekend. Bring a friend. See you in worship.