7/16/2025
"I will praise You with my whole heart;
before the gods I will sing praises to You.
The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;
do not forsake the works of Your hands."
Psalm 138:1, 8
As I read through the Psalms my heart is full of praise and adoration to the One who loves me, who gave His life for me, the One who holds me in the palm of His hand, and the One who crafted me in my mother's womb before time began. It is easy for me to exalt His name. If He had only breathed the breath of life into my lungs, it would have been enough.
That phrase, "it would have been enough" reminds me of a Jewish tradition that I first heard while watching the fifth season of The Chosen. As part of the Jewish tradition, on Passover, during the seder meal, the Dayenu (It Would Have Been Enough), a traditional song, is sung or recited during the sharing of the story of the Exodus. It is a series of stanzas describing moments during the exodus from Egypt and what follows as God leads His people to freedom and gives them His laws to govern their lives. The Dayenu:
"If He had taken us out of Egypt and not made judgements on them; it would have been enough for us.
If He had made judgments on them and had not made them on their gods; it would have been enough for us.
If He had made them on their gods and had not killed their firstborn; it would have been enough for us.
If He had killed their firstborn and had not given us their money; it would have been enough for us.
If He had given us their money and had not split the Sea for us; it would have been enough for us.
If He had split the Sea for us and had not taken us through it on dry land; it would have been enough for us.
If He had taken us through it on dry land and had not pushed down our enemies in the Sea; [it would have been] enough for us.
If He had pushed down our enemies in the Sea and had not supplied our needs in the wilderness for forty years; it would have been enough for us.
If He had supplied our needs in the wilderness for forty years and had not fed us the manna; it would have been enough for us.
If He had fed us the manna and had not given us the Shabbat; it would have been enough for us.
If He had given us the Shabbat and had not brought us close to Mount Sinai; it would have been enough for us.
If He had brought us close to Mount Sinai and had not given us the Torah; it would have been enough for us.
If He had given us the Torah and had not brought us into the land of Israel; it would have been enough for us.
If He had brought us into the land of Israel and had not built us the ‘Chosen House’ the Temple; it would have been enough for us."
When I think of all He has done for me, for my family, I could write a similar song, and perhaps one day I will. Maybe it is worth considering by each person who reads this post. What would you say to God? We don't have to wait for Passover, or Easter, if you're a Gentile believer, thank Him for all He has done. There are books written on gratitude, and it is a character of Christ that I want to develop better. I have had to adjust my attitude more than once this week. The past two weeks have been particularly stressful for me. I am discovering that I just cannot do as much as I used to do, so I pray that I can learn to adjust my expectations for myself to better accommodate my seniority status. And then, why settle for half a life! Trees here I come! Maybe I'll buy some new roller blades too! Now all I need to do is get a few of my sedentary friends out of their rocking chairs and off the sofa!
Let's see...I have a high school get together coming up this month, and a family reunion the week before the high school gig, so I have concrete plans. On the invitation for the family reunion it reads: "Let's gather for laughs, hugs, and catching-up that is long overdue." Plus food!! It will be nice to see all my cousins again. Many I have not seen since we were little, and the others mostly at the last funeral not too long ago. When we were kids we got together at my grandparents' house, but I've already written about that, right?! So many years ago, and the memories remain fresh. It brings a smile to my face, and a bit of laughter, depending on which cousin!!
Who knows, I may come with a Dayenu just for the occasion.
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