Pursued by Unfailing Love

"Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life." Psalm 23:6 NLT

There have been times recently that I have felt that my day was scripted, that I was following some unseen screenplay that was written by someone else.  And all I had to do was to act it out.

But then as these days have accumulated, I get the sense that my whole life has been scripted, that I have been the actor and someone else was the writer and director. Whether this is true or not I have no way of knowing, it's just what it feels like.

The King James Version of Psalm 23:6 is marvelous enough, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days  of life."  Over the years I have experienced great comfort in the thought that goodness and mercy were behind me cleaning up the messes that I have sometimes made of things.  But when I consider the New Living Translation above, that "goodness and unfailing love" are actually chasing me, the possibility of this screenplay becomes very possible, very real, So then now the  handwriting is not on the wall, but is in my heart.

Looking back I have experienced so much goodness in my life--in my childhood, in my education, in my various vocations, and in my family and  relationships.  But then there have been other times when my life was completely off the rails.  It's especially in those times that "follow" apparently became "pursue."  I don't see any other way that things could have worked out like they have for me.

But I say "worked out" as if it's over, as if that's all she wrote.  Whereas I have no promise of living through the day, more than likely there are some even better days ahead. As I give goodness and mercy fewer messes to clean up, perhaps they have an even greater opportunity to move me along in paths of righteousness.

If I could give a title to this screenplay, this drama that is my own story, I can think of none better than Pursued by Unfailing Love.  But what if "shall follow me" is as good as it gets?  Isn't that what I learned as a child?  Isn't that good enough?  Should I hope for more? As good as "shall follow me" is,  "will pursue me" seems to be the only way some of the story has been possible.  That's what I choose to believe.  "Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life." Cut. Take.