Renew In Me A Right Spirit

Psalm 51:10-12

Create in me a clean heart, O God, 
And renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence, 
And take not thy Holy Spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, 
And uphold me with thy joy. 

Allyson stood at the kitchen window with a steaming cup of coffee in hand gazing out into the gray early dawn sky. The pavement of the driveway was wet and shiny from the early morning drizzle and the dark clouds threatened more storms on the way. It has been dark and rainy everyday for the past three weeks and she longed to see the warm glow of the sun.
 
She couldn’t help but think that what she was viewing outside her window is exactly what she has been feeling inside. Stormy, discouraged, sad and worried. Despite all of her planning and hard work, things have not gone the way she had planned for so long. Her sister Cathy was diagnosed with cancer last week and her husband Don just lost his job. Money has been tight these past five years, but yet they have managed to put small amounts of money away for retirement. There was a plan, a future and hope and now at this moment it all seemed to be crashing down.

She was startled by the sudden vibration of her cell phone bouncing around on the kitchen table.  She saw that it was Bess and picked up.

“Hi Ally”  Bess sang cheerfully "how about if I come by to pick you up in an hour and we go for a walk on the beach and then out to breakfast?”

“Are you kidding!” Ally responded laughing “in this weather?!”

“Of course, why not?” she asked “c’mon, it will be fun!”

As Ally hung up the phone she noticed that the clouds had blown apart and for a moment she could see blue sky peak through.  I little surge of hope rippled through her like an electric shock to her heart.    

As Ally dressed for her walk with Bess, she prayed and gave thanks to God.

Dear Lord,

Please create in me a clean heart, a right spirit and restore my joy.  Help me to look only far enough into the future to make plans and only look back to learn from my experiences and not dwell or worry about things I cannot change or control.  Please lift me from this mire of anger, self-pity and discouragement as they only add to the difficulties. I ask that you lift me up so I can appreciate the gift of today, rain or shine. Either way, it is a beautiful day and another glorious day of life.  Fill me with resilience so I can navigate through the hurdles and obstacles that block my path, knowing that you walk with me on this journey. I put my confidence and trust in you Lord.

I am grateful for your grace Father, knowing that I am never alone. Thank you for the people you have put into my life, who love me unconditionally and won’t let me fall.

Today Lord, let me be a light, not a shadow.  Help me to take the focus off of me and let me be a blessing to someone else.  I pray this in thy holy name.

Amen.


"You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”    Walt Disney 

“If you are feeling low, don’t despair. The sun has a sinking spell every night, but it comes back every morning.  The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." Dolly Parton

“I know that God will not give me anything that I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.” Mother Teresa