But, if we can seek out reasons to be joyful, pray without ceasing, and try to be thankful in all circumstances, we will know without a doubt that we’re in line with the perfect will of God.Ĭhallenge: If you’re caught in the middle of a less than joyful situation, stop and ask God to give you the eyes to see all the good He’s doing. Plans are going to change, people will let us down, and our health is going to fail. If there’s one thing we can bet on it’s that life is going to get messy. That’s when we’re able to join Paul in the quest of being content regardless of our circumstances (Philippians 4:11-13). If we’re focused on the good things God might be showing us rather than trying to control outcomes, get frustrated, or throw ourselves a pity party, that’s when good things happen.
#Dell vostro 1520 mass storage controller driver download how to
One of my favorite quotes from Clay Scroggins’ book, How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge is “When I desire what God wants to teach me more than I desire getting done what I want to get done, I am in the best place.” While this quote was written with the intention to cultivate our leadership skills, it's also applicable to our attitudes in unexpected or undesirable situations. And, we got to watch the sunrise over the beautiful Ouachita Mountains on the drive back to our cabin, something we wouldn’t have gotten to experience otherwise. I got to see my loving husband in action, witnessing first hand how dedicated he was to care for me (way more romantic than flowers if you ask me.) I was introduced to an extremely caring nurse and doctor, and after a long night was finally on a path to healing. I started focusing on all the good that could come out of this less than ideal situation.
Rather than wallowing in a self-induced pity party about what went wrong on this trip, I was reminded about all I had to be thankful for. Around 6 a.m., some five hours after we first started our journey to the hospital and when it was finally time to head back to the cabin, something unexpected happened. To make matters worse, we were an hour away from the nearest hospital, which meant the remaining hours of our “romantic getaway” would be spent either in an emergency room or traveling to or from the hospital. I spent most of Saturday evening and early Sunday morning crumbled up in a ball near the bathroom, sick as a dog. But rather than being the low-key trip we hoped for, this one did not go as planned.
We booked a cabin near a lake a couple of hours away, packed up the dog and planned for a romantic and relaxing time together. This past weekend, my husband and I got away for a few days to celebrate our second anniversary. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Finding joy (in a not so joyful situation)Īlways be joyful.