I woke up feeling like a train wreck. Swollen arm, stiff fingers, and little desire to do more than lie in bed… all day long. Eating wasn’t very high on my priority list either, since that required moving.
Yeah, it was one of those days.
I just felt blah.
Of course you already know that my recovery has its not-so-great moments. Good days and bad ones are a part of the process of healing and rehabilitation in my left wrist and hand.
Despite all that, when I talked to my mom on the phone I didn’t speak about how I was feeling.
I don’t want her worrying about me. I just want her resting and preparing to undergo her final phase of breast cancer treatment with no complications. She begins radiation next week.
“So how are you doing mom?” I asked in a chipper tone.
“Oh, I feel wonderful, Dianna,” she replied with a big smile I could hear through the phone. “God is so good.”
“Oh yes He is mom,” I agreed, sensing that she was in the mood to talk of the goodness of the Lord—our favorite subject! As the conversation continued on, mom began reflecting on the recent past when she was seriously ill from an infection.
Things weren’t looking good at all.
And then she asked me, “Remember that time the Lord told you to dance in your room?”
Immediately I laughed out loud. I surely did remember that day! I had just gotten bad news about mom’s return to the hospital when I felt led to go into a full-on praise break in my bedroom. In case this is your first time hearing about it, I blogged about it here.
Once she and I began conversing about how God turned her situation around, and how we can now see that I was praising God in advance for that very turnaround (though I wasn't fully aware of that then), I forgot all about my pain. We both got happy on the phone just thinking about the goodness of Jesus!
Won't talking about the Lord get your soul all stirred up? My, my, my.
After I hung up, I thanked God for using my mother to remind me of how important praise is, even when we don’t see how God is going to work things out. Through her words, the Holy Spirit was gently encouraging me not to ever get so focused on a problem that I forget to praise the problem-solver.
We've got to magnify Him above all else, amen?
So today, I’m adding a “praise reminder” into your cup of inspiration. You’ll find that this cup is especially effective when you’re going through a tough season. When you drink it down, by faith, you’ll praise God in advance for what’s already done. You might not see it in the natural, but you’ll be confident that it’s already done in the spiritual.
Lord, I thank You for reminding me to praise right in the midst of my problems with full assurance that You have already solved them. And though I might not see just how everything will work out, I believe in my heart that all things will indeed work out for my good. Today, I will say in the midst of it all, that You, Oh Lord, are worthy of all my praise. In Jesus' name, Amen.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, empower, and encourage you!
