“The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail” (Isaiah 58:11, NRSV).
I like to think of myself as a glass-half-full kind of girl.
But on that particular morning, I was in a funk. My 5 a.m. alarm seemed extra shrill, sending my low-grade headache into full-on migraine status. I pulled back the shower curtain and noticed the beginnings of mildew creeping into the tub's grout.
Well, add cleaning the bathroom to that ever-growing to-do list.
I grumpily made my way to the kitchen to brew a much-needed cup of coffee and pack the kids’ lunches for school, but the coffee maker was broken, and the kids had wiped out every last crumb from the cabinet in a snacking frenzy the day before. As I went to rouse them, I took a deep breath and said a quick, silent prayer that everyone else would wake up on the right side of the bed.
In the grand scheme of things, that morning wasn’t horrible. Nothing major was going wrong, but nothing was going particularly right, either, and I was not feeling anything like my normally positive self.
But I feel the old familiar sting of conviction when I remember that God has blessed me abundantly. I’m certain it’s frustrating to Him when I complain, just like it’s frustrating to me when my kids complain.
Misery loves company. And if I had grumbled as I woke my kids that morning, I venture to say my family would have joined me. But instead, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, I rose above the annoyances.
Isaiah 58:11 says, “The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.”
Continual help? Restoration in parched places? Yes, please!
If I’m feeling parched, I can imagine that my kids, family, friends, and co-workers might be too. But rather than fostering a dreary drought, I can consciously choose to lift others by rising above my own trivial complaints.
What wonderful news that the Lord is with us during days of crisis as well as the mediocre days filled with mundane tasks, migraines, and a little mildew. Remembering this grace in our weakness can easily become a shining moment of God’s heavenly strength.
God never promised us smooth sailing, but He does promise to be right there beside us, restoring us and urging us onward. He is there to fill us up so we can continue to fill others.
Dear heavenly Father, please help me to accept both life’s little challenges and Your restoring help with grace and gratitude. Help me remember that no problem is too large or too small for me to call out to You. Please help me remember that a heart can be filled with joy every day, not just on the easy days. In Jesus’ name, amen.
As the year winds down, it's easy to carry the weight of what happened while already worrying about what comes next. Maybe you’re tired, disappointed, or simply longing to feel close to God again. That’s why Proverbs 31 Ministries is committed to helping women slow down and return to the steady Truth of God’s Word. Your gift today helps provide Scripture-rooted resources that remind women of God’s faithfulness and help them trust Him in whatever season comes next. As a thank-you for your generosity, we’ll send you our new First 5 study, Lift Your Eyes: A Biblical Study of the Psalms of Ascents, a four-week journey designed to help you pause, worship, and prepare your heart for Advent with renewed hope.
Even when gratitude isn’t easily felt, it can still be found, no matter what place you’re in. Through our free downloadable resource, “The 7-Day Reset: Cultivating a Habit of Gratitude Through Prayer,” you can stop feeling alone in your struggles by creating intentional time to talk to God, build a habit of prayer that you can rely on, and dismantle the lie that gratitude means you have to like everything about your life. Ready for a reset? Start here.
1 Peter 1:6-7, “In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (NRSV).
James 1:2-4, “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing” (NRSV).
Does the difficulty (or ease) of your life determine your joy? What are some ways you can practice being joy-filled even when circumstances are tough?
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