• Goodness and love will follow me

    Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.

    Psalm 23:6(a)

    At a bit of a loose end the other day, I decided to investigate some of the “get rich quick” schemes that are so common on the internet. The principle scam going around seems to be based on Google adverts. The idea seems to be to set up a website and buy adverts on Google to drive up traffic, and then sell adverts on the site. The more people visiting, the more money you make. The key is to balance the amount of money you spend on advertising with the amount of revenue you get from the adverts of your site. It all seems a bit ridiculous, creating an advertising loop, and I cannot see how it is possible to make the kind of money that the sites brag about. The truth is that it is very hard to become an internet millionaire. At this site’s peak, we received millions of visitors every year, but we never made a penny. In fact, hosting the site cost us money!

    If you’re looking for true happiness in your life, you’re not going to find it in get rich quick scams. The Psalmist in today’s verse, though, believes that he has found the answer. True happiness, he believes, comes from the Lord. He is convinced that only by accepting the Lord as his shepherd will he achieve the happiness that he seeks. Once he makes that step, however, he proclaims that goodness and love will follow him forever. As we have seen over the past few days, he recognises that there will still be low points in his life (they surely don’t get lower than “the valley of the shadow of death!”), but if he puts his trust in God and accepts his lead, then God will guide him, support him and love him. God will provide all he requires in abundance, and anoint his head with oil. This, the Psalmist proclaims, is the way to a good life, a happy life, and true fulfilment.

    There’s much to be thankful for in today’s reading. Reflect on how goodness and love has followed you thus far, and tell God that you will continue to accept his lead so that it will continue to follow you all of your days.