After writing my blog post the other day about having a hard time praising God through the storms, I challenged myself to thank God for something every time something not-so-praise-worthy happened. After all, the only way to change one's attitude about something is to, well, work at changing it. So I told myself Monday after writing that post that at the very least, I could send up a little thanks now and again, and the best time to do that was when I was wanting to thank Him the least!
Yesterday was a relatively good day and I don't recall any not-so-good parts of it, and honestly, I don't remember lifting His name once. Shame, shame! It was a middle-of-the-road sort of day. So, I suppose it shouldn't be any surprise that today started out like it did... ha! If there ever was a day when I felt like I had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, this was it!
I set my alarm last night for 6:30 am this morning because I knew that I would need that time to get ready and get the kids ready to take Julia to daycare today. Raven and I feel asleep around 1 am last night, and I was grumbling a bit at the thought of having to wake up at least once to feed her in the night and then having to be up at 6:30 am... so little sleep, so little sleep, and I feel so sick still but, thank God for naps!
So... imagine my surprise when what woke me up after falling asleep last night was NOT Raven but Adam settling Julia back into bed around 6 am... what? I quickly pop up and check Raven's breathing... yes, she is still alive! Thank You, God, that Raven is still alive! And then, Oh My Goodness, she didn't wake up to eat? Is she okay? Yes, she appears to be okay. Whew. Thank you, God, for a baby that sleeps well and a husband that recognizes that his toddler shouldn't be awake for the day yet!
I drifted back to sleep, and as I was doing so, I realized that... Oh My Goodness, I can breathe through my nose... what? WHAT? I can breathe through my nose! I don't feel very sick! And I actually feel pretty good! Thank God for turning around how one feels in a matter of hours and giving that to me today!
But soon I heard Julia rousing again and it was only 6:30. After ignoring her for a good 10 minutes, I realized she wasn't going back to sleep. I decided it was time to get up anyway, and so I popped out of bed and checked on Julia. Sure enough, she was wide awake and playing with her dolls in her bed, and the main reason being that her pacifier had, at some point, escaped her mouth and found its way under her bed. I picked out clothes for her and Raven and started to get them dressed. However, now I was stressing a little bit. I was going to get up early so *I* could get ready... not so that I could spend my morning corralling my children... how was I going to get a shower now that Julia was awake and Raven was starting to perk up after realizing she hadn't eaten in a LONG time? How was I going to get Julia to daycare by 8 am?
Breathe, Erin. Breathe. Thank God that despite the fact that she only got 9.5 hours of sleep, Julia is in an amazing mood and is excited about getting dressed and the first thing she wants to do every morning is check on "baby" and even wants to walk down the stairs by herself this morning! Small victories! Yay!
Julia was a champ eating breakfast this morning (Thank you, God!) and Raven took right to nursing. I was still feeling a little overwhelmed and rushed, but who doesn't some mornings? The coffee pot was on and everyone was enjoying breakfast... even if I had to take a shower later, it was all going to be good and okay, right?
I heard a cute little popping noise coming from the kitchen but didn't think anything of it. I have an old house. I hear a lot of weird noises. Thank God for my wonderful little old house!
Julia wanted to watch a show... perfect! That would give me a little quiet time to at least brush my hair and get dressed... okay! I have no problem doing this with Julia by my side either, but something was telling me that listening to her saying, "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy" in a very annoying little toddler voice about 100 times while trying to find something to wear would send me over the edge... so, Thank You, God, for corralling my children for me!
I ran upstairs and did minimal maintenance. Then I realized that I couldn't smell coffee (though my brain wanted it... even decaf!) and I ran back downstairs... ARGH! I forgot to put water in the coffee maker! And, that cute little popping noise I heard? That was my coffee pot, which had sat on a hot burner empty for 20 minutes, BREAKING. I think my heart broke for half a second too. I wanted coffee! Where was I going to find that now? And I need a new coffee pot. Argh! Thank God for small businesses like Smokey Row which provides GREAT coffee for the likes of me and Thank God for good friends who *know* me... a very wonderful friend was thoughtful and had brought me a Smokey Row gift certificate when Raven was born... and there was still money on it! Yay!
The clock was inching its way towards 7:30 and I decided to throw caution to the wind and steal 10 minutes for myself to gather my wits about me and hop in the shower. Thank God for running and clean water! Thank God for my daughter's 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner to make my shower a little quicker! Thank God for an infant that can't go anywhere other than where I put her and a toddler who can relatively take care of herself for 10 minutes while I'm in the shower! Thank God, Thank God, Thank God!
I felt immensely better after that shower (again, Thank God for showers!), and I did Julia's hair, put on her coat and shoes, and put Raven in her car seat. With one little phrase ("Julia, we are going to see Lukie today!"), Julia was barreling down the sidewalk towards the car to go to the daycare lady's house (Thank God that my daughter has and loves her little friends!), and it was still well before 8 am. But... ACK, I realized I had left my windows open AGAIN on the car the night that it was supposed to rain... and sure enough, my butt was wet in an instant! Thank God for rain! Thank God for rain! How amazing is the earth He created and everything regarding it! Thank God for rain! And, God, please help me to remember to roll up my windows next time when I know it is going to rain!
Linda had a smile on her face and Julia was happy to be at daycare, and I felt immense relief. I left daycare with Raven and decided to get that coffee... yay for a Sweet Georgia Brown! And thank God for a short line and friendly and sympathetic baristas...!
Yesterday was a relatively good day and I don't recall any not-so-good parts of it, and honestly, I don't remember lifting His name once. Shame, shame! It was a middle-of-the-road sort of day. So, I suppose it shouldn't be any surprise that today started out like it did... ha! If there ever was a day when I felt like I had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, this was it!
I set my alarm last night for 6:30 am this morning because I knew that I would need that time to get ready and get the kids ready to take Julia to daycare today. Raven and I feel asleep around 1 am last night, and I was grumbling a bit at the thought of having to wake up at least once to feed her in the night and then having to be up at 6:30 am... so little sleep, so little sleep, and I feel so sick still but, thank God for naps!
So... imagine my surprise when what woke me up after falling asleep last night was NOT Raven but Adam settling Julia back into bed around 6 am... what? I quickly pop up and check Raven's breathing... yes, she is still alive! Thank You, God, that Raven is still alive! And then, Oh My Goodness, she didn't wake up to eat? Is she okay? Yes, she appears to be okay. Whew. Thank you, God, for a baby that sleeps well and a husband that recognizes that his toddler shouldn't be awake for the day yet!
I drifted back to sleep, and as I was doing so, I realized that... Oh My Goodness, I can breathe through my nose... what? WHAT? I can breathe through my nose! I don't feel very sick! And I actually feel pretty good! Thank God for turning around how one feels in a matter of hours and giving that to me today!
But soon I heard Julia rousing again and it was only 6:30. After ignoring her for a good 10 minutes, I realized she wasn't going back to sleep. I decided it was time to get up anyway, and so I popped out of bed and checked on Julia. Sure enough, she was wide awake and playing with her dolls in her bed, and the main reason being that her pacifier had, at some point, escaped her mouth and found its way under her bed. I picked out clothes for her and Raven and started to get them dressed. However, now I was stressing a little bit. I was going to get up early so *I* could get ready... not so that I could spend my morning corralling my children... how was I going to get a shower now that Julia was awake and Raven was starting to perk up after realizing she hadn't eaten in a LONG time? How was I going to get Julia to daycare by 8 am?
Breathe, Erin. Breathe. Thank God that despite the fact that she only got 9.5 hours of sleep, Julia is in an amazing mood and is excited about getting dressed and the first thing she wants to do every morning is check on "baby" and even wants to walk down the stairs by herself this morning! Small victories! Yay!
Julia was a champ eating breakfast this morning (Thank you, God!) and Raven took right to nursing. I was still feeling a little overwhelmed and rushed, but who doesn't some mornings? The coffee pot was on and everyone was enjoying breakfast... even if I had to take a shower later, it was all going to be good and okay, right?
I heard a cute little popping noise coming from the kitchen but didn't think anything of it. I have an old house. I hear a lot of weird noises. Thank God for my wonderful little old house!
Julia wanted to watch a show... perfect! That would give me a little quiet time to at least brush my hair and get dressed... okay! I have no problem doing this with Julia by my side either, but something was telling me that listening to her saying, "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy" in a very annoying little toddler voice about 100 times while trying to find something to wear would send me over the edge... so, Thank You, God, for corralling my children for me!
I ran upstairs and did minimal maintenance. Then I realized that I couldn't smell coffee (though my brain wanted it... even decaf!) and I ran back downstairs... ARGH! I forgot to put water in the coffee maker! And, that cute little popping noise I heard? That was my coffee pot, which had sat on a hot burner empty for 20 minutes, BREAKING. I think my heart broke for half a second too. I wanted coffee! Where was I going to find that now? And I need a new coffee pot. Argh! Thank God for small businesses like Smokey Row which provides GREAT coffee for the likes of me and Thank God for good friends who *know* me... a very wonderful friend was thoughtful and had brought me a Smokey Row gift certificate when Raven was born... and there was still money on it! Yay!
The clock was inching its way towards 7:30 and I decided to throw caution to the wind and steal 10 minutes for myself to gather my wits about me and hop in the shower. Thank God for running and clean water! Thank God for my daughter's 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner to make my shower a little quicker! Thank God for an infant that can't go anywhere other than where I put her and a toddler who can relatively take care of herself for 10 minutes while I'm in the shower! Thank God, Thank God, Thank God!
I felt immensely better after that shower (again, Thank God for showers!), and I did Julia's hair, put on her coat and shoes, and put Raven in her car seat. With one little phrase ("Julia, we are going to see Lukie today!"), Julia was barreling down the sidewalk towards the car to go to the daycare lady's house (Thank God that my daughter has and loves her little friends!), and it was still well before 8 am. But... ACK, I realized I had left my windows open AGAIN on the car the night that it was supposed to rain... and sure enough, my butt was wet in an instant! Thank God for rain! Thank God for rain! How amazing is the earth He created and everything regarding it! Thank God for rain! And, God, please help me to remember to roll up my windows next time when I know it is going to rain!
Linda had a smile on her face and Julia was happy to be at daycare, and I felt immense relief. I left daycare with Raven and decided to get that coffee... yay for a Sweet Georgia Brown! And thank God for a short line and friendly and sympathetic baristas...!
As I pulled my car into our alley towards our garage, I kid you not, the song below came on the radio... and I sat there with the car running... singing and praising God, raising my voice to him, thanking Him for all that He is and has done... laughing and crying and realizing that today was going to be a BEAUTIFUL day! God, I know your timing is perfect and you orchestrated this morning for a purpose... and I thank You for doing that and showing me what that purpose is! Oh, yes, no matter what, it's going to be a WONDERFUL day!
O Praise Him (All This For A King) by The David Crowder Band
Turn your ear
To Heaven and hear
The noise inside
The sound of angels
The sound of angels' songs
And all this for a King
We could join and sing
"All to Christ the King!"
How constant
How divine
This song of ours will rise
Oh, how constant
How divine
This love of ours will rise
Will rise...
O praise Him!
O praise Him!
He is Holy!
He is Holy, yeah!
Turn your gaze
To Heaven and raise
A joyous noise
Oh, the sound of salvation come
The sound of rescued ones
And all this for a king
Angles join to sing
"All for Christ the King!"
Oh la la la la la...
O pra-ise Him!
O pra-ise Him!
He is Ho-ly!
He is Ho-ly!
How infinite and sweet
This love so rescuing
Oh how infinitely sweet
This great love that has redeemed
As one, we sing...
"Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
He is Ho-ly!
He is Ho-ly!"
O pra-ise Him!
O pra-ise Him!
He is Ho-ly!
He is Ho-ly!
Oh, La la la la la la...
"Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
He is Ho-ly!
He is Ho-ly!"
O pra-ise Him!
O pra-ise Him!
He is Ho-ly!
He is Ho-ly!
Oh la la la la la la...
O Praise Him (All This For A King) by The David Crowder Band
Turn your ear
To Heaven and hear
The noise inside
The sound of angels
The sound of angels' songs
And all this for a King
We could join and sing
"All to Christ the King!"
How constant
How divine
This song of ours will rise
Oh, how constant
How divine
This love of ours will rise
Will rise...
O praise Him!
O praise Him!
He is Holy!
He is Holy, yeah!
Turn your gaze
To Heaven and raise
A joyous noise
Oh, the sound of salvation come
The sound of rescued ones
And all this for a king
Angles join to sing
"All for Christ the King!"
Oh la la la la la...
O pra-ise Him!
O pra-ise Him!
He is Ho-ly!
He is Ho-ly!
How infinite and sweet
This love so rescuing
Oh how infinitely sweet
This great love that has redeemed
As one, we sing...
"Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
He is Ho-ly!
He is Ho-ly!"
O pra-ise Him!
O pra-ise Him!
He is Ho-ly!
He is Ho-ly!
Oh, La la la la la la...
"Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
He is Ho-ly!
He is Ho-ly!"
O pra-ise Him!
O pra-ise Him!
He is Ho-ly!
He is Ho-ly!
Oh la la la la la la...
(And oddly enough... this song provided a dual purpose this morning... I feel that God spoke to me through it twice... besides Praising and Thanking Him... I have been troubling over something for a while now and have been praying about it for the last few weeks and hearing this song today was another answer to prayer... I've been praying that God would help me to know what to do about this something, and the absolute instant that this song came on and I realized who sang it, the not-knowing-what-to-do burden was lifted from my heart and I had my answer... Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, God!)
1 comment:
Praise the Lord!! :)
I'm reading a good book right now that talks about being joyful and how to do it even when things going on around us make it difficult. It says that thankfulness leads to joyfulness and you just proved it. :) It can be hard to be thankful when things aren't going our way but when we are, we're happier and so is everyone else around us (including our children and spouses). I enjoyed reading your post. :)
Jenny
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