Bless the Lord

Hello Monday.

In my part of the world, it's been a dreary day. The clouds have kept the sun in hiding and have caused raindrops to fall from the sky instead. Not to mention the temperature took a bit of a drop. Nothing drastic, but enough to make it a bit chilly.

Nevertheless, today I'm reminded of something my mentor from years ago used to say. The psalmist would often say in scripture, "Bless the Lord, oh my soul." Deonn would say to me that what the psalmist was really doing was saying, "Soul, bless the Lord!" You see, the psalmist went through a lot of crap in his time. He was hated by the king who often tried to kill him, so he had to hide out in caves and stuff. His soul went through dark, troubling times. My guess is that he didn't feel like blessing the Lord. Cursing him, on the other hand, may have been a better fit. Rather than doing so, he commanded his soul to bless the Lord. 

Life's circumstances make me want to cuss. And sometimes I do. From my inability to pay the electric bill because I just don't quite have enough that week or the constant arguments my husband and I seem to find ourselves in. No way I'm blessing the Lord. Much like the psalmist, sometimes I have to tell myself to find the blessing in the midst of the darkness. 

Even when I don't feel like it, the choice is clear - bless the Lord. You know why? Because sometimes blessing comes through raindrops. (Yeah, I just stole a lyric from a song I don't even really like. But there's truth to it!) 

I've said it once and I'll continue to say it. It is your choice - my choice - to find the good, the beautiful, the positive things in life. Even in the midst of the darkest day of your life, there is something good to be found.

Have you ever had to tell your soul, "bless the Lord"?