Psalm 137

"By the rivers of Babylon -
there we sat down and there we wept
when we remembered Zion."
Psalm 137:1

There are times when we remember certain people, places, or events in our lives when tears come, either outwardly or inwardly. It just doesn't seem like we can control them. I've had a few of those over the past couple of months. They were memories of things that I knew were not God's will or desire but happened to me anyway. As I remembered I wept and found some consolation in my tears.
In the midst of this psalm I remember Jeremiah's words to God's people as well. He tells the people who are in Babylon, taken away from their homes not by their own choosing, to settle in. He tells them to plant gardens, build houses, and pray for the people where they now are.
When you combine these two scripture passages life begins to make more sense to me. First; it is ok to cry over what is outside of God's desire in one's life. Second; you have to make the most of where you are at. We can't change the past or what others have done we can only pray that where I am at today I will experience God's presence and blessings.
I'm going to see about going down to the river today and praying for God to make the most of my life from where I am now and not from where I think I should have been.