“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!”
In Moments Like These . . .
There are days when I feel out of sorts. I don’t know why, exactly, I just feel sort of bleh.
In moments like these . . . my emotions threaten to overwhelm my reason.
I’m less than patient when my daughter waits until we’re walking out the door to tell me that I need to sign a permission slip that’s due that day. Or, the one thing I need at the grocery store, I forget to get, but I somehow manage to buy a dozen other things I didn’t even want. Then some mystery member in my family lets the dog sleep on the couch — as if the leftover paw prints wouldn’t give away the family room misdemeanor.
These are minor things. I know. They’re clearly not worth the energy I expend when feeling so off-kilter.
Yeah, I have days when I wrestle with feeling less than my best. I can become sullen or withdrawn, irritable or curt.
In moments like these . . . I remind myself that my emotions do not control me. They may be indicators of something deeper brewing inside me, but I always have a choice over how I respond. There are two things I’ve learned to do whenever I’m feeling this way.
First, I repeat Psalm 103:1 several times, out loud.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!”
These words are literally addressed to our own soul. When we speak the words of this verse, we are commanding our soul to bless the Lord, despite whatever grumpy mood we may find ourselves in.
Second, I follow the scriptural command to bless the Lord by singing the words of this verse to a tune I learned as a kid. And once I start singing, I end up singing my all-time favorite song I remember from the church I grew up in.
In moments like these, I sing out a song.
I sing out a love song to Jesus.
Singing I love You, Lord. Singing I love You, Lord.
Singing I love You, Lord. I love You, Lord.
In moments like these . . . something always transpires when I tell my soul to bless the Lord and I start to sing. My gaze shifts from my own petty irritations to the greatness of His majesty.
That’s when all minor distractions pale in the shadow of the Almighty.
Denise,
This week I was REALLY struggling with negative feelings. Counting my blessings just seemed too cliché. So instead, I started with Psalm 40:1-3 (my life verse as I claim it to be), and I just started writing (typing) out all the ways my heart could bless and praise the Lord. I literally wrote out my own psalm or song of praise and blessing. What a mood changer. We may not be able will away negative feelings, but we can DO things like what you’ve suggested that help the negative feelings take a back seat for awhile. Great reminder this am!
Blessings to YOU this morning,
Bev
Thank you for sharing this! Sometimes I think I’m the only mom/wife that ever has these negative feelings towards my family. I literally just woke up to a situation where my sweet husband made breakfast and burned the whole package of Bacon because he was letting me sleep in. My daughter got into crafts she wasn’t supposed to touch so she would be quiet…and well I just gave myself a mommy timeout and turned to my favorite blog for some peace and God gave me your words! I’m singing Psalm 103:1. I can’t say my feelings have changed but I’m praising God because my response will bring Him Glory!
Thank you!!!
THANK YOU!!! This message has blessed me greatly. May the Lord multiply back to you out of His great grace for the way you have blessed all the rest of us! I’m now reminded of 1Thess 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” The key for me in this is to give thanks in all things. This gives my heart the position in my relationship to the Lord to receive from Him.
Wow…what great timing. As is usual for this church nursery director, many Sunday mornings are filled with frustrating moments as I try to find last minute subs for those who are sick or out. Consequently, I often dread looking at my phone first thing upon waking, wondering who will be contacting me this week. And this morning, after a week of dreary rain, achy bones and a general feeling of bleh…I happened to read this little bit of encouragement as I headed to church. Thanks for the lift, and the reminder to praise the Lord always. I really am blessed. God’s blessings upon you.
Denise,
I often have bleh feeling days! When that happens my emotions get the best of me and I usually let my loved ones “have it”. Like you music lifts my soul. I will often times go for a walk & listen to good Christian music. The more I sing & praise God the more I forget about my problems!
Have a blessed Sunday!! 🙂
Thank you Denise,
I truly needed this. Be blessed.
Good morning. Thank you for posting this. I have shared this in my mental health group. We try to focus on positive thoughts to replace negative ones. Have a blessed day.