This Is The Day the Lord Has Made...SPLASH!
Last Saturday morning I jumped from the bed, excited about the day.
I made the bed quickly and threw my hands toward the ceiling as I walked to the bedroom door.
"Lord," I declared, "I just want to thank you that I'm a child of the most high God this morning! This is the day the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad..."
SPLASH!
In mid-sentence, I had thrown open the door to my bedroom and stepped into a pool of water covering my living room carpet.
"..and be glad in it, Lord," I finished, shaking my head.
The hot water heater had apparently gone out, and running water had been covering an entire bedroom and the living room...all night long.
I would have plenty of time to rejoice in the Lord as I vacuumed water and tore out carpet.
"I will bless the Lord at all times," wrote David in the 34th Psalm. "His praise shall continually be in my mouth."
I wonder if he wrote those words while fixing a flat tire on the freeway, or picking up a treat the dog left on the floor in the kitchen? David was human, wasn't he? Could he really expect us to maintain an attitude of praise at all times?
I wrestled with God on this one. I found myself fighting to stay "happy."
"Okay, Lord," I reasoned, "In Romans 8:28, you said that in all things you work for the good of those who love you and are called according to your purpose. I'm going to give you the opportunity to prove yourself this morning.
"Please show me how this inconvenient, uncomfortable, potentially expensive situation is going to work out for my good."
Shortly thereafter, there was a knock on my door.
It was Jose, the water heater repair guy.
"It looks like you're having a rough day," he said, taking a look at the water heater connections.
"Yes," I said, trying to remain positive. "But, it's just a little water. It could be worse."
"Oh yeah, it could," Jose replied, walking out to his truck to retrieve tools.
His tone gave me the impression that he had seen much, much worse. When he returned, I asked him what he meant.
"I lost 30 years of what I had worked to build during Tropical Storm Allison three years ago," he said. "I had five feet of water in my home. Everything was destroyed."
I figured this was probably the point where I needed to start listening for the Lord...
He went on to say that his neighbor had put her first-born baby in her car trying to escape the rapidly rising waters, and found the automobile and her baby underwater after running back into the house to grab a few items to save.
"She's still a wreck emotionally," Jose said. "I don't think she'll ever get over it. And, my wife and kids just finished putting our place back together, finally."
I looked down at my replaceable wet carpet and realized, like usual, God had shown up to teach me a valuable lesson.
Folks, our God is good all the time. We are abundantly blessed and have so much to be thankful for in every situation. He is just as worthy of our praise when a situation seems to turn sour as he is when everything is rosy.
I asked Jose what part of town he lived in, and he indicated it was in a neighborhood very close to my church.
"I spent the night in your church sanctuary, you all gave us food, a place to stay, shots for the kids," he said. "You all were wonderful."
I actually hadn't even joined my church when Tropical Storm Allison hit Houston in June, 2001. Twenty-one people lost their lives, and scores of Houstonians lost their homes and all their possessions.
I would spend the remainder of that Saturday vacuuming wet carpet, thanking Jesus that I was not one of them.
Being blessed is a matter of perspective, isn't it? Think about places in the world where the residents would see any one of us as living like a king.
Sometimes, we just need a little reminder of how good we have it.
Did you get out of bed this morning? Do you have eyes that allow you to read this page? Do you have a place to sleep tonight, and food to eat before you go to bed? Do you have family and friends that love you?
Is your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life?
If you can answer "yes" to any of the above questions, it sounds like someone is abundantly blessed by God!
Let's all remember to maintain that attitude of praise and gratitude. I don't know your situation or the challenges you face today, but I bet you could find something to thank him for right now.
About the Author
John Tyler is a Houston-based writer and public relations professional who publishes an online column on Christian living. Be Transformed! Vist http://www.JohnTylerMinistries.com