What a crazy, fun time we had last week with our daughter being
home from North Carolina and our other daughter and her two sons, ages four
months and two years, also staying with us.
Our home looked like a bomb went off most of the time and I was
exhausted at the end of each day…but I wouldn’t trade the moments and memories for
anything.
So getting ready for church yesterday morning was difficult
because I knew our time together was coming to an end. Erica left to drive back home (in the
fog…which didn’t help!) and Megan and the boys were leaving after we left for
church. When I went to give Elias, the
two year old, a hug and a kiss before we walked out the door, he melted into
tears. That of course made this grandma
start crying and I had to leave the room to get myself composed. They only live 35 miles from us and I’m sure
we will see them soon, but I still hate to say goodbye…especially when Elias
has crocodile tears streaming down his face.
I was feeling pretty down as we drove to church and thoughts of
the morning were definitely affecting my mood.
That led to thinking about some of my prayer concerns that aren’t being
answered in my time. I often think that
I know better when and how things should happen and it is easy to become
discouraged and frustrated when I don’t see God answering the way I think He
should in the timeline that I think He should follow.
Then a phrase started going through my mind. I may have shared with you before something
my niece used to recite to us when she was young. Her mom had taught her to say, “I will choose
to be happy today…when storm clouds come my way…I will choose to be happy
today.” What a wonderful thing to
instill in a young child’s mind.
Of course as adults, we realize that we aren’t always going to
be happy. The reason is that our
happiness is often dependent on our happenings…and what is going on around us
isn’t always fun and games. Life can be
brutal as many face serious health conditions, marital problems, financial
concerns and wayward children all in a world that seems to becoming unhinged.
We
can choose though to have joy even when we are not feeling happy. We read in Psalm 28:7, “The Lord is my strength and shield. I
trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with
joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving”. I
think the key words in this verse are “I trust him”. When we trust the Lord completely…with
everything in our life…it IS possible to choose joy even in times of distress.
We
arrived at church and wouldn’t you know it; our pastor’s sermon title was
“Timely Therapy for Troubled Thoughts”.
Yes, our God has a sense of humor.
I knew when I saw the outline that God was going to be speaking directly
to me during the service and of course He did.
I would highly recommend that you check out this sermon at http://hopemissionarychurch.podbean.com.
So I
think I will revise my niece’s saying somewhat and recite these words when I feel
myself being dragged down, “I will
choose to trust Him today…when storm clouds come my way…I will choose to trust Him
today.” This should be a reminder to
me that it is my choice whether I will trust God with everything so that my
heart will be filled with joy.
Once I choose to
trust…the joy will come…and I will want to burst out in songs of
thanksgiving! I’m guessing that will
make me a much more pleasant person to be around and will help me reflect His
image just a little more to those with whom I come in contact.
“I
pray that God, the source of hope,
will fill you completely with joy and
peace
because you trust in him.
Then you will overflow with confident
hope
through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13
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