Keep Telling Yourself That

I have so many thoughts running through my head today. I have lots of ideas for blog posts -- some serious, some hilarious. But, for now, they will all have to wait.

Instead of coming up with something original based on my own thoughts, which seemed to be a tangled, muddled mess anyway, I am going to do something I always told my students to never, ever do. I am going to plagiarize. God.

David's words in Psalm 103 spoke to me when I read them today, so I figured I would just let him do the talking since he said it so well already.

Praise the Lord, I tell myself;
with my whole heart, I will praise His holy name.
Praise the Lord, I tell myself
and never forget the good things He does for me.

It's easy to forget, especially when life is so busy and it seems like bad/hard things keep happening one after the other. So, let me refocus. What good things has God done for me that I need to remember?

He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
He ransoms me from death
and surrounds me with love and tender mercies.
He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle's!

God isn't an old miser or scrooge who begrudingly gives me good things. Oh no, He lovingly and generously and lavishly pours out His blessings into my life.

The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly.
He revealed His character to Moses
and His deeds to the people of Israel.

Not only does He give me good things, but better yet, He gives me Himself! He reveals Himself and makes Himself known, in a variety of ways. How exactly, you may ask? David answers:

The Lord is merciful and gracious;
He is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love.
He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
He has not punished us for all our sins,
nor does He deal with us as we deserve.

Thank goodness!

For His unfailing love toward those who fear Him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our rebellious acts
as far away from us as the east is from the west.

Reminds me of the song that speaks of how much God loves us, which was best displayed when Christ spread out His arms on the cross and showed us "just how far the east is from the west."

The Lord is like a father to His children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear Him.
For He understands how weak we are
He knows we are only dust.
Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
The wind blows, and we are gone --
as though we had never been here.
But the love of the Lord remains forever
with those who fear Him.
His salvation extends to the children's children
of those who are faithful to His covenant,
of those who obey His commandments!

And it never changes in all that time.

The Lord has made the heavens His throne;
from there He rules over everything.

Oh, is that all?! Guess I do have plenty of reasons to praise God! I just have to keep telling myself that, over and over and over again. I guess David knew that I would need reminding, and so he ends his Psalm with this:

Praise the Lord, you angels of His,
you mighty creatures who carry out His plans
listening for each of His commands.
Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels
who serve Him and do His will!
Praise the Lord, everything He has created,
everywhere in His kingdom.
As for me -- I, too, will praise the Lord.

And so, today, and every day, whether I feel like it or not, I will choose to praise God, to bless His name. I have found it helpful, today at least, to start singing the moment I start to get tense or frustrated or discouraged. I keep telling myself, "This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad it!" or I sing over and over, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say, rejoice!" or perhaps, "I've got joy, joy, joy down in my heart!" or even, "My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty. There's nothing my God cannot do!" As I sing, I am reminded of these truths and my perspective, and attitude, begins to change. I am able to refocus and set again my eyes on Christ so that I can "run with endurance the race that has been set before me."