I have always been a “glass half full” kind of girl…but
since all this has happened with Pete, I have been feeling more like a “glass
half empty” girl! It is so easy to get down and feel so sad because I miss Pete
so much! I realize that part of my
grieving process is that I need to “go there” and grieve when those times come…but
I also realize I cannot stay there! If I stay there too long, it drags me down
deeper. So in those times when I realize I am staying too long in the depths of
despair, I have been stretching my hands out to God and asking for Him to pull
me up and out of that pit! I have found what works best for me is to just start
praising Him and thanking Him…even if I don’t feel like it! I praise Him for Who
He is, for the gift of His love and forgiveness, for Jesus and His presence in
my life, for “being enough” in the midst of hard times, for the joy I had with
Pete for so many years, for family, for friends, for opportunities to live for
Him.
I have always admired Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian who helped her family hide Jews in their home in Holland during WW II. She and her sister were in their 50s or 60s when they were thrown into a German prisoner of war camp for helping the Jews! What went on in those camps was horrendous! But through it all, Corrie said she learned that “no pit is so deep that my Lord is not deeper still”! Oh, how true! He is always there…we just have to reach out to Him!
When I shared with the ladies at the retreat in March, I challenged them to get a journal and write down a few thank yous/praises to the Lord every day. We were challenging each other to get to 1000! (Based on idea in One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp) I was doing great with my journal until all this started happening with Pete. I will be honest with you - the journal has not been touched since then. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been praising Him because even in the midst of my sorrow, I could recognize many thank yous and praises…but I haven’t stopped to write things down. Just this week, I decided I needed to get back to concentrating on praises in my life and writing them down. Somehow writing them down helps me to think about them more and it encourages me to go back and read them over and over. Today, a dear friend sent me a devotional written by Mary Southerland/Girlfriends in God. I think it was God’s way of saying, “Yes, girl, I want you to keep focusing on praising Me! That will help you.” I love how He reinforces His messages through friends sometimes! So even though I know I will still have my moments of deep pain and sorrow, I am going to work on praising Him more every day. (devotional in red)
Today’s Truth
Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Cast up a highway for Him who rides through the deserts; whose name is the Lord, and exult before Him (Psalm 68:4).
Friend to Friend
I love the story of the woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. "Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today. She did and she had a wonderful day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. "Hmm," she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today." She did and she had a great day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. "Well," she said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a ponytail." So she did and she had a fun day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head. "Yes!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!" Now that’s what I call having a good attitude. (I LOVE this story!)
Attitude can transform anything and everything – thoughts, habits, and perspectives. We can literally change our lives by changing the way we think. In Isaiah 26:3 (NLT), we find the promise, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you.” A mind filled with thoughts fixed on God will produce a heart filled with praise – and girlfriend, praise is a powerful tool in our spiritual arsenal. Praise brings healing to our spirit. When we honestly express our trust in God, then choose to give thanks, healing begins. Praise provides a highway upon which the Father conveys deliverance and blessing. Praise invites God to take up residence in the midst of our messy lives and becomes a free-flowing conduit of God’s very presence and power at work in us. God funnels infinite blessings into a life that praises Him. Stress and anxiety fade as peace floods the heart that is filled with praise…
Don’t miss the life changing truth that we can enthrone God in every situation of our lives by praising Him. Praise converts our everyday surroundings into His dwelling place. It is from that throne of praise that God dispenses victory. Praise tunes us into His sovereignty and allows us to experience the reality and power of His presence.
Praise strengthens our prayer life. Prayer is not only a remarkable privilege that we often fail to recognize or understand, it is also part of our worship to God. There is the asking side of prayer when we seek forgiveness, lay needs before God and intercede on behalf of others. Then there is the appreciating side of prayer when we offer praise and thanksgiving to God for who He is and what He has done. Our relationship with God is strengthened through prayer and praise. Now here is my favorite truth about praise. Are you ready? Praise devastates Satan and his forces. Yes! I love it! In fact, Psalm 20:5 (NIV) promises, “We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.” Satan is well aware of just how powerful praise is and I suspect he absolutely hates it … which absolutely delights me! I can almost sense his fury when I choose to praise God instead of questioning Him. He hates it when I walk by faith, setting aside feelings and emotions while focusing on God’s Word and His faithfulness in my life.
No matter where you are or what you are facing, God is with you. Choose to praise Him.
I have always admired Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian who helped her family hide Jews in their home in Holland during WW II. She and her sister were in their 50s or 60s when they were thrown into a German prisoner of war camp for helping the Jews! What went on in those camps was horrendous! But through it all, Corrie said she learned that “no pit is so deep that my Lord is not deeper still”! Oh, how true! He is always there…we just have to reach out to Him!
When I shared with the ladies at the retreat in March, I challenged them to get a journal and write down a few thank yous/praises to the Lord every day. We were challenging each other to get to 1000! (Based on idea in One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp) I was doing great with my journal until all this started happening with Pete. I will be honest with you - the journal has not been touched since then. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been praising Him because even in the midst of my sorrow, I could recognize many thank yous and praises…but I haven’t stopped to write things down. Just this week, I decided I needed to get back to concentrating on praises in my life and writing them down. Somehow writing them down helps me to think about them more and it encourages me to go back and read them over and over. Today, a dear friend sent me a devotional written by Mary Southerland/Girlfriends in God. I think it was God’s way of saying, “Yes, girl, I want you to keep focusing on praising Me! That will help you.” I love how He reinforces His messages through friends sometimes! So even though I know I will still have my moments of deep pain and sorrow, I am going to work on praising Him more every day. (devotional in red)
Today’s Truth
Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Cast up a highway for Him who rides through the deserts; whose name is the Lord, and exult before Him (Psalm 68:4).
Friend to Friend
I love the story of the woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. "Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today. She did and she had a wonderful day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. "Hmm," she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today." She did and she had a great day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. "Well," she said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a ponytail." So she did and she had a fun day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head. "Yes!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!" Now that’s what I call having a good attitude. (I LOVE this story!)
Attitude can transform anything and everything – thoughts, habits, and perspectives. We can literally change our lives by changing the way we think. In Isaiah 26:3 (NLT), we find the promise, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you.” A mind filled with thoughts fixed on God will produce a heart filled with praise – and girlfriend, praise is a powerful tool in our spiritual arsenal. Praise brings healing to our spirit. When we honestly express our trust in God, then choose to give thanks, healing begins. Praise provides a highway upon which the Father conveys deliverance and blessing. Praise invites God to take up residence in the midst of our messy lives and becomes a free-flowing conduit of God’s very presence and power at work in us. God funnels infinite blessings into a life that praises Him. Stress and anxiety fade as peace floods the heart that is filled with praise…
Don’t miss the life changing truth that we can enthrone God in every situation of our lives by praising Him. Praise converts our everyday surroundings into His dwelling place. It is from that throne of praise that God dispenses victory. Praise tunes us into His sovereignty and allows us to experience the reality and power of His presence.
Praise strengthens our prayer life. Prayer is not only a remarkable privilege that we often fail to recognize or understand, it is also part of our worship to God. There is the asking side of prayer when we seek forgiveness, lay needs before God and intercede on behalf of others. Then there is the appreciating side of prayer when we offer praise and thanksgiving to God for who He is and what He has done. Our relationship with God is strengthened through prayer and praise. Now here is my favorite truth about praise. Are you ready? Praise devastates Satan and his forces. Yes! I love it! In fact, Psalm 20:5 (NIV) promises, “We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.” Satan is well aware of just how powerful praise is and I suspect he absolutely hates it … which absolutely delights me! I can almost sense his fury when I choose to praise God instead of questioning Him. He hates it when I walk by faith, setting aside feelings and emotions while focusing on God’s Word and His faithfulness in my life.
No matter where you are or what you are facing, God is with you. Choose to praise Him.
Praising Him while working on my hair and
drinking from my half full glass!
He is worthy of all praise!
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