"...my heart will choose to say, blessed be Your name!"
When dusky purple mountains are jagged outlines against a peach horizon, sunrising greeting me as I drive to work, the choice is easy.
When my husband and I have a heart-to-heart, fears shared, dreams timidly verbalized and met with love, tears and prayer and tickling mixed, the choice is easy.
When I feel "in control" of my life--home spotless, food prepared, to-do list accomplished, the choice is easy.
When a golden carpet of leaves covers the ground, bright as a yellow brick road, I am reminded of the whimsy of my childhood; the choice is easy.
It's hardly even a choice: It becomes almost a habit, when one has known the love of God for a long period of time, to thank and bless and be grateful.
When a marriage crumbles, and I know the pain is too great for words, the choice is hard.
Why should I bless Your name for this?
When dreams are deferred, hopes postponed, more of the same-old-same-old in their place, the choice is hard.
When I feel rejected or forgotten or overworked, the choice is hard.
When the lives of others make me envious, greedy to partake of their joys and ungrateful for my portion and my cup, the choice is hard.
He reminds me: You can choose to bless My name. Just because you have the option, doesn't mean it will be easy.
This season is such a juxtaposition: Intense joy and searing pain. Quiet daily satisfactions and niggling daily discontent and discomfort. And thus I am grateful, Jesus, for Your promise that Your mercies are new every morning. My heart chooses to say: Blessed be Your name!
This is beautiful and I really appreciated reading this today...thank you for sharing this perspective!
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ReplyDeleteThis, your words, your heart...every bit of it is so beautiful, so true, and so not just a cake walk but then there's always the choice to, every day, good or bad, joy or pain, bless His name.
ReplyDeleteThis post makes me think of Amy Carmichael's If...so glad you are writing here dear.
Love + miss you dearly. xo
Just had to tell you - this post spoke volumes to me. It seems like God keeps getting me at this same place, over and over. The place where I say I love him and will whole heartedly worship him when things are beautiful, but then doubt... and fret... and wonder... when things are hard. He asks me: Do you REALLY trust me? Or do you love me for what I can do for you.
ReplyDeleteWow. Good stuff dear.