Lost heart.

Last night, my boys were watching a skateboarding competition that they'd recorded earlier. The kids were pretty good (all guys, which sort of disappointed me...I'd love to see a girl go out there and place right along with them). The prize money was outrageous, in my opinion. Anyway...

It wasn't over when bedtime crept up, so I had them stop it where it was, with the promise that they could finish watching tonight. Off to bed they went! This morning, I turned the tv on to have some noise while I emptied the dishwasher (a BAD habit, but a habit nonetheless), and it was turned to some station I'd never heard of before. There was a woman speaking (of course I can't remember her name). I was listening halfheartedly as I did the dishes, but I heard her read a Psalm which caught my ear. I didn't hear which Psalm it was specifically, so I googled it, and found it.

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13

And I can't explain to you how absolutely necessary that verse was for me today. Or in the past few days. Or the past few weeks. Really, even months. This show was on a station I'd never seen before, a show I'd never heard of, and the kind of evangelic-looking show that I would normally tune off, simply because I don't get into that sort of preaching. Normally. But I kept it on. This woman had the audience laughing, and she was dressed like I would be dressed up on a stage in front of hundreds of people, and she was talking like I would've talked up on a stage in front of hundreds of people. So I kept her on. And I heard that verse. And God spoke to me.

Hard times are just that - HARD. But like that woman said this morning - you've got to get in the habit of replying with one simple phrase when something bad comes your way and knocks you upside the head:

I can handle it.

Because guess what? You can. Our God won't ever give us anything we can't handle without His guidance. Without His help. Without His loving kindness. Without His forgiveness. Without His grace. And He gives us all that and more, over and over, every single minute of every single day. Isn't that inspiring? Doesn't that make you feel as though you could climb the tallest mountain?

My God does not set out to make me miserable. He wants me to call on Him, and to keep my heart open to all He has to give. I know I will see His goodness in this life.