I read this great scripture today,
Proverbs 19:3 (NLT)
People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD.
Another translation said,
People’s own foolishness ruins their lives, but in their minds they blame the LORD.
That is so true.
How many times do we question God when things don’t go our way, or worse we get mad at God. Last Sunday, my pastor read a great quote:
“One flat tire will turn us 70% atheist.”
It took me a second to figure out what he meant, but then it hit me. One small thing in our life can go wrong and suddenly we question our faith.
Recently I read a book to my preschoolers called, Maya Was Grumpy, by Courtney Pippin-Mathur. I chose the book because some of my little ones had walked in that morning very grumpy and grouchy.
In the story, Maya wakes up grumpy but she doesn’t know why. She doesn’t want to play, she’s snarls at her cat, she grumbles at her siblings, and when asked about it she just growls.
One line in the book really struck me that morning,
“The only thing Maya wanted to do was grouch around the house and share her bad mood.”
I shared with my preschoolers how when we are grumpy we can share our bad mood with others by the things we say or do. One person can share it to another person, and so on and so on, and soon the whole classroom can become grumpy and grouchy. I asked, "We don't want a grumpy classroom, do we?" They all exclaimed, "No!!"
I was reminded of a very recent event in my life where I turned into Grumpy Maya. An unexpected accident happened to one of my daughter’s friends, which resulted in an injury to her foot and a 4-1/2 hour stay in the emergency room. Thankfully, the injury was not too serious but instead of rising to the occasion, and being Super-Holy Christian to the rescue, I’m ashamed to say I became Grouchy Maya. Over four hours in an emergency room with a revolving door of incoming DUI patients and crazy criminals can do that to you. So, I sulked in the corner. I grouched, I grumbled, I complained to God, and I would have even snarled at a cat if there would have been one handy. My teen daughter on the other hand, sat with her friend in complete patience and godly love. She shared joy while I chose to share my bad mood. Very humbling.
So, when I heard my pastor say, “One flat tire can turn us 70% atheist”, I thought, “Wow, one midnight emergency room visit can turn me 70% atheist and destroy my Christian witness.” When I should have used the opportunity to share love, I chose to share my bad mood.
Like I told my preschoolers, even if we wake up grumpy, God still loves us. If we ask Him to forgive us of our bad mood, He will wash away our grumpiness by the blood of Jesus who died on the cross for our sins. He will give us His Holy Spirit that will replace our grumpy mood with His joy. And God wants us to share our joy with others. How do we share our joy with others? Through words of encouragement, kindness, and love. That morning in class, I took a moment to give a compliment to each child:
“Your braids look so cute today.”
“I like how you sing our morning song with so much enthusiasm.”
“You are a great artist.”
“You are a kind friend.”
As I made eye contact with each little friend, their face lit up, as the power of kind words changed their grumpy into joy. Their smiles and laughter filled my heart with joy. And now, joy and the love of God filled our classroom.
What an amazing God we serve! His mercy is new every morning and His love is never ending. This summer, as I have made it my mission to share the love of God with these little ones, God is really teaching me some lessons and has opened my eyes to His love for me, even when Miss Yolanda turns into Grumpy Maya.
Psalm 103:8-18 (MSG)
GOD makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet.
He showed Moses how he went about his work, opened up his plans to all Israel.
GOD is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love.
He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever.
He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children, GOD feels for those who fear him.
He knows us inside and out, keeps in mind that we’re made of mud.
Men and women don’t live very long; like wildflowers they spring up and blossom, But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly,
leaving nothing to show they were here.
GOD’s love, though, is ever and always,
eternally present to all who fear him,
Making everything right for them and their children
as they follow his Covenant ways and remember to do whatever he said.
I pray your grumpy turns to joy by the power of the Holy Spirit, that the love of God abounds in your heart uplifting your spirit, and that you draw nearer and near to light and truth of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Love,
Miss Yolanda
This post is dedicated to my Gidget.
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