Praise the Lord? Not feeling it.

Yesterday, I snuck out of mine and Anna’s bedroom at 5:30 AM, eager to go for an early morning run before she woke up.

But, this was not to be.  

She began crying, then screaming!  (Why did she wake up?)

I told Heather we would try that evening and then went to calm and console Anna.  I put her in my bed and wrestled with her for an hour.  I feigned sleep, trying to convince her to go back to sleep.  I quietly sung songs, trying to lull her to sleep.  She flipped and flopped, twisted and turned; pausing just long enough between pirouettes to make me believe she was going to sleep, then dashing that hope by flipping upside down in the bed.  

Finally, an hour later, I conceded defeat and we both got up.

I was frustrated.  Not at Anna, but at my present situation.  All I wanted was some time alone.  Time to run, time to drink coffee, time to read my Bible.  I was willing to get up extra early to make that happen.  But No!  I couldn’t even get that.  And this was the second day in a row she had woken by 6 AM!

I was having a pity party by myself in my head as Anna ran around squealing and chasing some kittens on the front porch.

I decided I would do a quick devotion on the front porch.  So, I sat down with Anna beside me, using an out of date devotion book by Dr. Charles Stanley.  The passage was Psalm 150.

I told Anna, “We are going to read from the Bible.”

I read out loud: (my thoughts in parenthesis)

Praise the Lord 

(Okay, typical way to start a Psalm - still not happy)

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power; 

(okay, sure, but why can’t He act and make Anna sleep longer?)

praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,

praise him with the tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, 

(Anna was bouncing up and down at this point)

praise him with the clash of  cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord

Praise the Lord.  

(Let EVERYTHING praise the Lord.  Well, that’s me.  And I am not.  So, let’s try)

I told Anna, “We are supposed to praise the Lord.  Hallelujah”  

She started singing, “Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord”  This is one of her favorite songs.  (The kid gets it, why don’t I?)

Anna wanted to swing.  I grabbed my journal and put her in the swing.  I decided to praise the Lord while she was swinging (Gotta multi-task with a two year old).  I decided to list praises to the Lord, to fill a sheet with them.  This seemed like a daunting task - a whole sheet of praises?  (Not feeling it!)

Here is my journal entry:

Psalm 150 says that in everything I should praise the Lord.

• Praise the Lord for this child I am swinging as I write this entry.
• Praise the Lord for this child that woke up at 5:30
• Praise the Lord for this child that wants to cuddle
• Praise the Lord for this child that sees the world with so much wonder and excitement
• Praise the Lord for this child that loves and trusts me.
• Praise the Lord for the privilege of raising this child.
• Praise the Lord for the blessing of this child.
• Praise the Lord for her smile.
• Praise the Lord for her great hugs.
• Praise the Lord for her sweet voice when she sings.
• Praise the Lord when she practices her words at 6 AM “green, red, up”
• Praise the Lord when she uses my belly, legs, arm, head and feet as a pillow
• Praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord

I could have kept going, but the page ended.  My attitude was changed.  My heart was not in a pool of pity anymore, but seeing the blessings God had given me.  The blessing I had listed were just about Anna, nothing about the rest of my life, I could have filled a book with the blessings I have in the Lord.

Praise the Lord!