Praise Him!

Ever wake up and just feel the weight of how blessed you are? That happened to me today. My husband who loves me, my four precious kids, my pretty house, hanging out with 30 people I love last night (my M.C.), the sunshine, getting ready for a full weekend of fun with old friends! SO much to be thankful for. My heart feels full with praise to God!

But you know what's crazy? I will probably wake up someday soon and feel the total opposite! Most of those things will still be true but I'll see it differently....The husband who loves me will have kept me up with his snoring, or the kids who are precious will not seem so precious when they all want to be fed at "too-early-o'clock", my house will be dirty because of those 30 people who were over the night before, it will be an overcast morning and I'll have a full day of errands to run. Ugh. I hate that day already and it hasn't even happened.

But it will. Or at least one just like it. And maybe much worse like my kids getting really sick or us not being able to pay our bills or something...horrible.
And my mood can change accordingly. But it doesn't have to. I don't want it to!

God is still good when my house is clean or dirty, my family is lovely or annoying, when there are earthquakes or cancer or death. God is still good. He gives and he takes away but blessed is the name of the Lord always! HE can give us joy because He is our joy. He gives us himself and then we have peace, hope, love. He can change our mood no matter what we are going through. He is greater than our circumstances!

So this morning when I woke up, bursting with joy, I can declare “Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!”

But when I wake up someday soon, filled with worry or sadness or discontentment, I can declare “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

So...praise HIM! No matter how you FEEL today, God is worthy of your praise! And your praise for Him will lift your spirits and change how you feel because he is good. So praise him!