Another Tool

I learned something this weekend… and it began bright and early on Saturday morning!

When I got my wife up for the day at the beginning of the weekend, she was very week and stiff.  Sometimes her arms are so tightly held against her sides that it makes it extremely difficult to get a sweater on her without injuring her weakened body… and Saturday was one of those days!  But with lots of joyful singing and gentle patience we persevered and completed the task at hand and then rolled into the kitchen for breakfast.

Once in the dining room we enjoyed the view of our bright, sun-lit back yard and attempted to settle into the morning routine of helping Piper to partake of a good portion of the juice/medications and protein drink that I prepared for her.  Well… let’s just say that it wasn’t going to be as easy as I had hoped!  It was one of those times where she was just not very receptive to easily swallowing her breakfast and we had to work at every swallow and seemed to get more on the napkins under her chin than we did in her mouth.

By the time we got as far as I felt she could go, I leaned way back in my chair and simply sat there a little exhausted, a little weary, and a little lost as to what to do next.  So, without giving into the many negative thoughts that were pounding in my head, I dragged myself out of the chair and headed to the guest bath to get a wet cloth in order to wash Piper’s face… and my sticky, chocolate covered hands!

When I got a few steps down the hallway I reached out to steady myself against the wall and stood there for a short while to figure out what to do next.  I have to admit that there were more than just a few thoughts of discouragement racing through my mind.  But once again, I knew that it was important for me… and Piper… that I not give voice to those negative words.  Instead I reached out to the Lord and asked what HE wanted me to do… and within a flash, my thoughts zeroed in on God’s Word in Philippians 4:4 were Paul encouraged his readers during one of the toughest occasions in his own life to “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, Rejoice!” (God’s Word ©)

So, what did I do?  Yep, despite the awful way I was feeling at that moment, I opened my mouth and began to repeat the powerful phrase, “Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”  And did it do any good… Well, you know… IT DID!  Surprisingly, by the few moments it took me to wash my hands, get a wet cloth for Piper and return around the corner to the dining room, I was feeling stronger, uplifted and hopeful despite what we had just gone through!

Then on Sunday morning our Pastor taught a wonderfully insightful and encouraging sermon centering around James 1:2 where James, the Pastor of the church in Jerusalem, tells his congregation “My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different kinds of temptations,” (MKJV) And while there was a lot of depth to the sermon I want to center in on one word in the verse that the Pastor defined from the original Greek that I had never heard before.

Most translations define the word “count” as meaning “to consider.”  But when one looks at the original Greek definitions you’ll see that it can also be defined as “to go before; to be a leader; to rule or to command and have authority over.” (Thayer’s)  Strong’s says that it is “to command or lead with official authority.”  Now think about that for a moment.  That puts another whole different twist on the trials, tribulations and temptations that we all go through in life.

By looking at it this way, we can understand that we are being told that we can actually take command or legal authority over the different hard times in our lives THROUGH the expression of and therefore faith in the Joy of the Lord!  Just like what I experienced on Saturday morning when things were looking pretty bleak to me.  My verbal confession of rejoicing in the Lord completely turned the situation around for my wife and I.

I was thinking this morning as I further studied James 1:2-4, that the confession of JOY or action of REJOICING is actually a tool… or better yet, a weapon that we are given when we place our trust in God and His Word… and actively demonstrates to ourselves and any other individual around us that we steadfastly believe that HIS vision of our situations in life is greater than what we may be visibly witnessing at any given time.

WOW!  Kind of makes you want to start REJOICING right here and now doesn’t it?  Well… go for it!  Rejoice aloud and then watch HIM change the situation, or the way you feel right before your eyes!

Have a great new week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Am I actually expecting to verbally REJOICE in the midst of a trying situation today?”