1 Chron 16:34 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.
For a long time, I did not understand how people could be sad around the holidays. Yes, it could be a stressful time with all that family in a confined space, but with food, gifts, and loved ones, I just didn’t get what wasn’t to love. Now I do. Loved ones gone way too soon, loved ones who have chosen to be absent from our lives, loved ones who show up, wrapped in a protective layer of anger and resentment, attitudes of elitism and entitlement. Now, I absolutely I get it.
Psalm 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.
For a long time, I have been enamored of the expression “Choose Joy.” Sometimes choosing joy is effortless, but sometimes it has to be an intentional, deliberate, and willful act. It doesn’t mean putting on a smile and pretending to be happy when you aren’t. It is, for me, about being honest with where I am, yet choosing to praise Him for His abundant blessings anyway.
1 Thess 5:18 Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Lord, I am broken and hurting. I miss those who have gone on to be with You, I am sad about relationships that have been damaged or have fallen into disrepair, but I am thankful for so many things, Lord, including the fact that You understand my brokenness and love me, fiercely, anyway. Help me to willfully choose Your joy today. Help me to see and acknowledge Your blessings in my life, which are abundant and ever present. Thank You for Your Son, for my life, for the ability to touch the lives of others, for so many loving and supportive people. Thank You for the ability to be real and honest and broken. Thank You for the understanding that it is only through Your love that I can be made whole. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 145:2 Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Have a blessed day.