“To you, who sit enthroned in heaven, I lift up my eyes.”—Psalm 123:1 (ISV)

As I type this blog post with a brace on my left hand, I know why God laid it on my heart to write last week’s post, Finding Gratefulness. It was to hold me accountable for what I put in writing! Other than deleting the post, there was no escaping what I put out on the internet.

Last Tuesday between my mom’s negativity and multiple phone calls along with my wrist pain, I was in a pretty lousy mood. A month ago, while holding my 20 lb 7-month-old grandson, my wrist turned in at an odd angle. I felt a radiating pain, but thought it was just a pulled muscle. It wasn’t getting worse, but it wasn’t getting better. I am sure not resting it didn’t help wither. Even though, I was being careful at the gym, I was still working out. After cleaning house the prior week, I could barely push a light switch or turn a door handle without pain. I knew it was time to get it checked out by the doctor.

Because I was an existing patient, I was able to get into the specialist the following week. After the challenging day with my mom and my wrist pain seeming to get worse, I am not going to lie, I was in a funk.

Rather than fix my thoughts on the only One who could help me, I was fixated on my left sore wrist, my achy trigger finger on my right hand, a new pain in my left hip and my mom’s mood swings. I heard the enemy whisper, Hello??? Lisa, you just wrote about finding gratefulness. You are such a hypocrite.

Satan wanted me to feel ashamed that I was being quite the opposite of what I wrote. He would like more than anything for me to be overwhelmed with life circumstance. But you know what? At that moment, I chose to not let the enemy get a foothold of my mind. I turned that inward focus upward.

God knowing I was going to have this bad day, had prompted me to change my phone screen saver to my November verse, “Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.”—Psalm 95:2 (NLT) I saw that verse on my phone and immediately asked God to forgive me.

You see, He was reminding me that I wasn’t staying in communication with Him. It was affecting my mood. I was letting my mother’s negative attitude seep into my thoughts. Instead of looking upward, I was looking inward.

 This is what looking upward was for me: Thank You, Jesus, that I was able to get into the specialist. I was told had I not been an existing patient he was booked out for several months. Thank you, Jesus it is my left wrist and not my right. Thank You, that it isn’t affecting my knitting or writing. Thank You, for the genetic testing to guide the doctor for new medication to help my mother’s mood swings. Lord, thank You for my BSF lesson’s perfect timing of God being on the throne worthy of my worship.

Once I redirected my thoughts to praising and trusting the One who got me out of bed that morning, I had a new attitude. That following day, I was blessed with wonderful fellowship with my knitting ministry. I knew what a gift that was to be able to be with all of those special women.

Life may not always be as we would like, but God is always working and moving in our lives. Like me, we all are going to have our “off” days. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit living within us, convicts us when we are being more self-focused than God-focused.

Father God,

Forgive me when I let negativity dominate my thoughts.Open my hands to accept what You have given me. Thank You for sustaining me in the challenging days. As I place my trust in You, may others see the Gospel displayed in me. I lift those up to You who are having a hard time finding sprinkles of joy in their day. Keep them alert to Your daily miracles.I pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

 November Verse

“Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.”—Psalm 95:2 (NLT)

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