sadness

Wednesday, June 27, 2012 (12:31 p.m.)

Awesome, Amazing, Incredible, Wonderful God,

A sentence here. A paragraph there. And then I fizzle out. The intention every morning is the same. YOU first. Then I open my eyes and something distracts me.

Forgive me, Father. Again I ask Your loving forgiveness. You are so good and gracious. Loving and kind. Eternal. And I am desperate to stay here with You. Just You and I.

Look. There’s a hint of a smile! I think of You and how very much You love each and everyone of us and I can’t help but smile.

So often these days I’ve been focusing on the sadness found in the lives of so many of our friends and family. Sadness that is deep. Profound. Real. Thank You that Your love is even deeper. More profound. More real than any of the pain any of us can feel.

Thank You Father that You love each of us so incredibly much. You care. I have taken the ‘easy’ way out lately. Too much trouble to get ready to go to church, so I haven’t gone. Other things to do through the course of the day so I haven’t stopped long enough to hear from You at all.

Even when I realize that I smile more when I’m with You, I still refuse to budge. Thank You for helping me see that I’d really rather be here with You right now than anywhere else. Thank You that looking into Your Word and being reminded of what YOU have to say about sadness is all I truly want to be doing.

Your disciples knew sadness. Deep, profound, agonizing sadness. You told them in advance (John 16:19-23) of the grief they were going to experience, yet You also promised them Joy Like a River Overflowing. Knowing the questions they wanted to ask You, You comforted them with Your Truth. “Then fix this firmly in your minds: You’re going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You’ll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness” (v.20).

I keep forgetting to look to You when all around me I see heartbreak and sadness. It’s only when I come back to our true source of comfort [YOU J] that I remember that You are known for transforming grief into joy.

I confess to You Most Dear and Loving God and Savior, I am deeply affected by other people's sadness. Couple that with time spent away from You and I completely forget that on the other side of grief is freedom and joy. But it is never in the way we most expect. And it is only found in Your steady company.

Forgive me for thinking I can ever be satisfied in a day without some quality time spent with You. You ARE my Rock. My Redeemer. My ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). Thank You for reminding me. Thank You for forgiving me. Thank You for loving me. No matter what.

Help me remember the joy I felt just paragraphs earlier when I tapped the words “Just You and I” and immediately thought of the Just… Little Critter books written by Mercer Mayer. I so very easily get trapped in sadness. Other peoples’, as well as my own. Thank You for always reminding me that it is with YOU that I am never alone in it. Thank You Father. Thank You Jesus. Thank You Holy Spirit. I love You. And I do indeed thank You. Amen.

(591 words ~ 1:23 p.m.)