Blessed Be Your Name

My life anthem.

It's a difficult one to live by, most definitely. And don't be fooled... I'm not always successful.

There are days when I forget.

Like when it rains day after day, with no end in sight, and my restless toddler is driving me crazy.

Or when I realize I'm one of the few wives I know whose husband isn't around to do the dinner, bath, and bed routine, and consequently, feel sorry for myself.

Or when I climb into bed alone at night and wish for a better scenario.

Or when the monotony of laundry, dishes, washing dirty hands, and vacuuming crumbs out of the carpet (again) gets to be too much.

Or when we have to make the decision on which trips are worth the gas... budgeting is oh-so-fun.

Or when our hot water heater breaks (like this morning), and we don't have an extra thousand bucks just sitting around to purchase a new one.

But none of this matters.

This time has been ordained for us.

By His grace, we will get through it. And all for His glory.

Because it's not about us. It's about Him... His goodness, His grace, His mercy, His love, His power.
His ability to get us through it; not ours.

Back when Brad was in Colorado, and the chances of our relationship making it seemed dim, I had a choice to make. I could whine and mope around, wondering why God would allow me to hurt so much. Or? I could praise Him anyway.

And that's how I got through it.
I can't explain it, because logically, it probably doesn't make much sense.

But I realized that I can't just praise Him during the happy times. What a fair-weathered fan I'd been.

No, we're to praise in the hard times too.

So through tear-stained cheeks, I prayed. Through gut-wrenching sadness, I sang praises.

And none of this is to set myself on a oh-look-how-righteous-I-am pedestal. Not at all.

But to share how those hard times are so much easier to get through when you recognize Who is in charge. When you let go of the anger and bitterness and resentment.
When you surrender it to Him.

Like the disciples in chains who sang praises in the midst of their trials, we're called to do the same. And it never fails, God shows up every time.

Maybe not in the way we expected, but He's there. Always.
"You give and take away, my heart will choose to say, blessed be Your Name..."

It's a choice.
So yesterday, in a weak moment of "Woe is me", this song came on the radio.
God speaks. That is for sure.
The song that sparked my decision almost 10 years ago to praise... "though there's pain in the offering"... to trust that He is in control. Of our relationship, our finances, our health, our safety, everything. The God who created it all, who has each star named, is worthy of trusting.

2 Corinthians 12:9

There is so much freedom in that.

And that concludes our Tuesday morning sermon.
Have a great day, everybody! ;)