Ever Feel...just BLAH?

Welcome to the first Monday of the New Year. I remember reading Garfield comics growing up and watching the Garfield and Friends cartoon that would air on Saturday mornings. During this time, I never understood why Garfield hated Mondays so much; then I grew up.

Now, I know you maybe thinking to yourself, "You are a Pastor, you should be positive about every day of the week." Well, I would be lying if I didn't say I dread some Mondays. Today is one of those Mondays. You might ask why, I am about to indulge into why.

Today is one of those Mondays where you come out of a great church service on Sunday and you look around at what God did in the church that morning; only to be hit with frustration and disappointment from what seems like every side. So this leads to the title of this post...do you ever feel frustrated? Have you ever felt lonely? Have you ever felt like throwing in the towel? The answer is probably, yes. Guess what, you are not a sinner, backslidden person if you have felt that way. We all feel that way from time to time; and it is ok.

Yet, I learned something this morning before I typed this. I can either choose to stay in frustration and disappointment, OR I can choose to rise above it. While it is okay to feel disappointment, frustration, and loneliness; you must choose to stay there or RISE ABOVE IT. I choose today to rise above it.

I love eagles. They are magnificent birds and a symbol of freedom here in America. I heard an interesting fact from a fellow Pastor that eagles love storms. When a storm comes, eagles use the winds from that storm to fly to heights they normally couldn't reach. They use the winds and drafts to help the rise above the worse of the storm. When storms come in our lives, we can either hunker down and complain about how bad the weather is or we can rise above it. We can use the very thing meant to take us out and press us into unprecedented heights we never thought we could achieve before.

Isaiah 40:31 reminds us that when we wait upon the Lord, our strength will be renewed. We will mount up with wings AS EAGLES. That lets me know, when frustration, disappointment, and loneliness come, I don't need to fret or worry. I can choose to hunker down and complain about everything and everyone; or I can choose to use the very storm meant to take me under and out to rise above it.

I hope this encourages you today as much as it encouraged me to write it.

Maranatha,

Dereck J. White