“Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!” Revelation 19:1
I won’t deny it. I tend to be a pessimist. I have to make a conscious effort to see the good things in life when times aren’t going so great. When my finances were tight, I would look at everything my family and I had to do without rather than look at the roof over my head. When I found myself raising my son alone, I focused on the absence of my husband rather than the beautiful baby God had blessed me with. During those times, I had to force myself to smile. Singing praises was certainly the furthest thing from my mind.
My friend, “Mark,” from my old church was having difficulties of his own during that time. He and I had been friends since I was in high school. He has always had a heart for the Lord. His smile always brightened a room, and his personality was always upbeat. Nothing ever got him down. I hadn’t talked to him for awhile when I felt my life falling apart. Since my marriage, my life had become consumed with my home and husband. I had changed churches and didn’t see much of Mark. I did know that he had gotten married and that they had adopted a little boy. His life was complete.
I went back to my “old church” one Sunday. I was unhappy, didn’t feel like worshipping during praise and worship. I forced myself to smile when we were greeting each other. I was basically miserable. No one could possibly understand how bad my life had become.
The choir finished singing a beautiful song. The offering was taken, and Pastor prayed for a little boy who was in the hospital, dying from an inoperable brain tumor. I felt sorry for the little boy and his family, and for a brief moment, my thoughts were taken from my own problems.
Everyone grew quiet as Mark stepped up to the podium and picked up the microphone. Music filled the room and Mark’s voice shakily blended with the music. By the end of the song, Mark’s voice was steady and strong and the church members were all weeping. When Mark finished the beautiful song of praise, he quietly spoke into the mic.
“Thank you for all of your prayers. I know Carl will be with the Lord soon. I am so thankful that the Lord allowed me the privilege of being his father for these past two years.”
Mark quickly left the stage and sat down. The tears streamed down his face as his friends from many years were comforting him and sharing his painful moment. I had no idea that his little boy was dying. Yet, he stood before the congregation and the Lord and sang a song so beautiful.
Carl died a few days later. Mark and his wife mourned the loss of their little boy, but never did I see them unwilling to offer up praise to the Lord for His greatness. They believed that the Lord allowed them to “borrow” that little boy, to bring them joy for a time. Then, they had to give him back to the Lord. They praised despite their situation.
After that week of seeing Mark and his wife face the death of their child, I was a little more willing to sing to the Lord when I didn’t feel like it. I was definitely looking at my precious baby boy with grateful eyes and an overflowing heart. He was (and still is!) a strong, healthy child. He was one of the greatest gifts the Lord had blessed me with. Mark and his wife were examples of a great truth – that the Lord deserves praise at all times, even when we don’t feel like it!
