I went out with a plan this afternoon on a gorgeous April day. The plan was simple. Get something cute. I’d really like a dress. I had some ideas in mind for what I liked. Something that makes me feel good. Something stylish. Something modern. I’m pretty tired of what’s in my closet lately. I’ve got a plenty of clothes. And don’t get my wrong, I’m thankful. But dang gone, I just wanted one outfit.
So I went out with my plan and a few bucks in hand. I had zero kids. It was me, myself and the mall. I was ready to go.
So I found myself wandering around looking at rack after rack after rack. Pairing this with a sweater. That one with some nude pumps. This teal one with a belt. Ohhh. Perhaps this one. But that one didn’t like my thighs.
Ohhhhhhhh. What about this one? Nah….that one doesn’t like my arms. Oh goodness.
Nothing was looking good and the things that did look good honestly were not falling into that few bucks category I mentioned. I scoured two stores and I spent about 2 hours. Starting to get frustrated I ended up walking out empty handed.
I said ‘NO’ to the dress….es.
On the way home I was sour. Grumpy. Like the life had been sucked out of me. Like my grand plan was smashed with a mallet. Broken was not what I had intended so I left feeling bummed. Yet the sun was shining and it grazed my skin. The weather was much warmer than before.
Why was I so disappointed and annoyed? It was gorgeous day to behold beauty!
On the way home I was thinking about my disappointment and then it happened despite the crawling traffic on the highway. Despite the back roads detour. Despite the construction truck I was following up over the mountain.
There it happened at the foot of the mountain back road. A song came on the radio by Michael W Smith. And there I lifted my hands in holy worship. There I sat praising the God of the universe.
The God who is. The God who came. The God who deserves every praise no matter how I am feeling. It happened on the way up over the mountain. The joy of the Lord. The spirit swelling inside my heart.
I was undone. Who cares if I don’t have a new dress? Who cares if I didn’t come home with what I hoped for? None of that matters now. All that matters is that I had an encounter with the God of the universe. All he wants is more encounters with me.
Encounters when I’m…
frustrated
disappointed
excited
sad
angry
disgruntled
lost
meek
strong
I went from feeling disappointed and frustrated to joyful in the blink of an eye. Why?
Because I took my voice and lifted it high in praise and worship. Have you ever tried that?
Have you ever worshiped the God of this universe in the midst of your troubles, in the midst of your circumstances. It doesn’t matter what we’re facing. He’s still there. He still cares. He still is waiting for us….to just open our mouth wide and praise Him.
Sometimes when we find our self having to say ‘no’ over and over God is saying ‘YES’ over and over.
Yes….I care.
Yes….I hear.
Yes…I’m capable
Yes….I’m enough
Yes…I have the power
Yes…I’m here with you.
Yes….My mercy reaches to you.
Yes…My healing power is for you.
My prayer for you is that you listen and you hear it in soft whispers. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Love and blessings,
Melanie
xo
Melanie – your post today reminds me of something my daughter showed me yesterday -it is pretty long so I apologize for taking up so much space, but it helped me put things in perspective and realize that God is indeed saying YES for our betterment!
“Me: God, can I ask You a question?
God: Sure
Me: Promise You won’t get mad?
God: I promise.
Me: Why did You let so much stuff happen to me today?
God: What do you mean?
Me: Well, I woke up late.
God: Yes.
Me: My car took forever to start.
God: Okay.
Me: At lunch they made my sandwich wrong & I had to wait.
God: Huummm…
Me: On the way home, my phone went DEAD, just as I picked up a call.
God: All right.
Me: And on top of it all off, when I got home ~ I just want to soak my feet in my new foot massager & relax. BUT it wouldn’t work!!! Nothing went right today! Why did You do that?
God: Let me see, the death angel was at your bed this morning & I had to send one of My Angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that.
Me (humbled): OH.
GOD: I didn’t let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on the road.
Me: (ashamed)
God: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick & I didn’t want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn’t afford to miss work.
Me (embarrassed): Okay.
God: Your phone went dead bcuz the person that was calling was going to give false witness about what you said on that call, I didn’t even let you talk to them so you would be covered.
Me (softly): I see God.
God: Oh and that foot massager, it had a shortage that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn’t think you wanted to be in the dark.
Me: I’m sorry, God.
God: Don’t be sorry, just learn to trust me…. in all things , the good & the bad.
Me: I will trust You.
God: And don’t doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your plan.
Me: I won’t God. And let me just tell you God, thank You for everything today.
God: You’re welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I Love looking after my children…”
That’s awesome. It’s all in perspective. Thanks for sharing Shashi!
I love that quote Shasi! I’ve come across it several times and it helps keep such perspective. It reminds me that my little problems might just be huge blessings in disguise.
It’s so easy to get down about things and forget about what’s important — I know I do, and I try to work on it constantly. It’s so true you can never find a dress when you want one, isn’t it? When you’re not looking, you’ll find it!
I know Marcie. I fall into all the time. But he’s there to lift me up and remind me what IS important. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Have a beautiful day!
Such a lovely post. I really enjoyed the Michael W. Smith song! 🙂
Thanks Helen! Michael W.Smith is hands down my favorite male singer. His words are so encouraging.
Have a blessed Easter!
I love how you turned your bad mood around!!
Good Morning Melanie! I only “found you” now – three years after this was posted!! It is so meaningful to me – how we have the opportunity to turn disappointment to praise! I needed to be reminded of that today and wanted to thank you for posting this. I saw a weekend recipe review and you posted Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing. I am very eager to try this as I’m on a journey to decrease my sugar amounts……hard for this grandma who had wonderful examples of delightful meals as I grew up through my grandmothers and my precious mother. I’m grateful to find this recipe; thanks for this, also. God’s blessings on your day.
Cordelia, what a pleasure to have you as a new reader here at Gather for Bread. 🙂 ❤
I love hearing from my readers so thanks for taking the time to write. I hope you enjoy the Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing. It’s amazing!
Be sure to come back soon and I’ve love to have you sign up for the newsletter if you like to hear all the new things and recipes we post. https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/51143?v=6om/7fErn