It's a Good Thing

"It sure is hard getting old.. but I sure had a great time getting there!" is what a little lady said to me the other day at work. Ever since then, I have not been able to get it out of my head. What a great, positive way to look at things.

It seems like all around us these days is nothing but negativity. Whether it be from all of the recent events in the media or in the everyday lives of those around me, negativity has taken the front seat and seems to be the new, cool thing. And I can't say that I'm not guilty of jumping on the bandwagon. I'll be the first to admit that the last year or two of my life haven't been quite as peachy as the 27 before them. I've felt sorry for myself. I've complained. I've cried. I've questioned. I gave up writing. I quit laughing.  I've done it all. But at some point it all had to stop. There are too many "good things" in this great life we've been given to remain focused on the negative. The good far outweighs the bad.

On one of my down days, I was sitting Indian style in the middle of my bed reading a devotion. I was desperate for God to tell me something, so I grabbed a Bible that I had during college. I knew it was a completely different version than anything I read on a regular basis. It reads in a much more modern dialect. I thought maybe a new perspective, a new take on what the words said, would help me see things differently.

And I was exactly right. I reached for the Bible and tossed it onto the bed. I had no particular verse or page I intended to read, but God sure did. When it landed on the bed, it opened strait to a page with a title of "It's a good thing to hope from help from the Lord." I was immediately intrigued.

I read the page. I read it again. And again. And again. I shared it on Instagram. I shared it on facebook. I've shared it with numerous friends that I knew were going through a hard time. I still read it often.. And now I am sharing it here. We all need a little positivity in our lives.

It is from "The Message" Bible in the book of Lamentations and goes like this.

IT'S A "GOOD THING" TO HOPE FROM HELP FROM THE LORD.
I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed. I remember it all. O, how well I remember. The feeling of hitting rock bottom. But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope.

God's loyal love couldn't have run out. His merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great Your faithfulness! I'm sticking with GOD. I say it over and over. He's all I've got left.

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God. It's a good thing when you're young to stick it out through the hard times.

When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter in silence. Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions. Wait for hope to appear. Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face. The "worst" is never the worst.

Why?? Because the Master won't ever walk out and fail to return.
Lamentations 3: 19-31 (The Message)

Have a great weekend!
HE FILLS MY LIFE WITH GOOD THINGS.
Psalm 103:5