I was waiting to have a good day. : )
I've had a mad rash of bad days, one right after the other. I've started several posts that rambled on briefly about the subject I intended and then somehow ended up about something entirely different. A post I didn't intend to post. I like to laugh. Be light-hearted. Be happy. And I was just.........uggghhhhh. For days on end. Yuck.
So then, I tried to scrapbook some photos to post about recent outings and adventures, but my software would freeze up every time and I would lose all the time and effort I had put into it. Which made me aggravated. Irritated me. I was already aggravated. Frustrated. Irritated. Blah.
Grumpy people making me grumpy ~ you do know it's contagious, don't you? Bad news at every turn....or so it seems......until I make a conscious choice to look more carefully.
When my heart is heavy, my burdens too cumbersome.....whispering deep within is a quiet melody, a perfect peace ~ my ever-faithful Savior calling to me, soothing my hurts, calming my fears and casting light into the shadows of the unknown. Sometimes the storms around me are so loud I can barely hear the melody, but it's there. There are times when I try to pray and I can't get past, "Lord......". It's those times that I recall a song that speaks what's on my heart when I can't. I have a tendency to have a song for everything.....this one sums up so well what most of us feel at some point or another, and it becomes my prayer until I can get to a point where my own words flow freely. (Mute the auto music player at the bottom of the page to hear the video.)
Thankfully, I usually don't stay down and out for long.....I can't stand to live that way. Before long, the Lord reminds me of what I already know ~ that I'm letting satan (yes, I know there's supposed to be a capital "S".....but he gets no respect from me) get the better of me. The sassy part of me doesn't want to give in ~ she know there's a better Truth elsewhere.....and she know how to get there. Finding joy and laughter among the difficulties will sometimes land on us unexpectedly. I think more often, however, we have to make a very conscious choice to find them.
When the quicksand of negativity, frustration, aggravation, sadness, discouragement or despair threatens to take you under, STOP. Even if you have to force yourself, look around. God has provided ropes of joy to hold onto, to pull you out if you're willing to look and find them. They may look only like scrawny twigs, but start grasping them! Scattered around are the twigs of joy and laughter that once gathered together, one by one, can be bound into a strong enough support to lift you above the muck and help you see the light in a new day. Before you know it ~ you've got a huge arsenal against the enemy and while the storm may be continuing to rage around you, it doesn't seem quite so loud and the melody breaks through loud and clear.
My twigs of joy can look like this:
- music
- hearing the perfect song at the perfect time
hot, fresh whole grain bread with melted butter : )
the exclamations of anticipation and gratitude when the above 3 characters or my husband some inside and the house smells like ♥chocolate chip cookies♥
wearing my favorite hot pink heels that I refused to buy because all three of my kids needed new tennis shoes and church shoes at the same time.....and ended up with them anyway when someone who loves me happened to find them on clearance!!! They were worth waiting for! : )
pumpkin bread season
Teavana tea
getting to sing a song where my part is in my ideal range in choir
fresh, clean, shampooed hair
saying bye-bye to gray hairs....even if it's temporary : )
the way my husband looks in blue
finding my daughter doing a sink load of dishes without being asked because she noticed how many things I had to do that day
a dog that tries to talk like Scooby Doo
the way my kids listen to me sing every cotton-pickin' song that comes on the radio in the van and don't even mind because they know I can't help it ; )
church
friends
♥chocolate♥
two 12 yr. olds downstairs laughing and talking about how much they love their dogs
hearing a 3 yr. old that I had last year in preschool call, "Miss Jill!" , "Miss Jill!" from across the room, then getting literally knocked over as I bend down to receive his very enthusiastic hug♥
the ability to laugh at my klutzy self sprawled on the floor in front of a whole bunch of people ; )
Once you get started, you could go on and on and on.......it may take practice, but you'll get better at it! Some of our twigs may be silly, some simple. Often the simple things are the best. The troubles will still be there, the winds will still blow......yet, they can be easier to withstand. Joy is all around us; God provides ample supplies of it for the taking. I choose to take each and every little one, rejoice, be glad and sing the song He has for me, regardless of what it is or where I am. Even if it's in the valley.
P.S.
I'm reluctant to post this......but I think I'm supposed to. ??????????? So, there.
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