starting with me.

" God be merciful unto us, and bless us;
and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.
That they way may be known upon the earth,
thy saving health among the nations.
Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the 
people praise thee.
O let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for
thou shalt judge the people righteously,
and govern the nations upon the earth. Selah.
Let the people praise thee, O God, let all the
people praise thee.
Then shall the earth yield her increase; and
God, even our own God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth
shall fear him."
Psalms 67

Bless the Lord, oh my soul....oh my soul.

These words echo in my head. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. We bless the Lord. That should be our response to everything in life.
Not everything is going perfectly in my life right now. There are days that are definitely easier than others. My heart is not always happy, no, joyful. Happiness is not what I search for. Joy is what my heart needs. Joy comes from the Lord, and continues when happiness has given up hope.
My heart has days that it dreads the loneliness it faces. And many days my heart forgets that it is not lonely at all. There is one who loves me more than life itself. He gave His life so that I could be returned from my separation from Him. That is true love. And it is always at my fingertips.
On days when, like yesterday, my heart sees only the negative in life, on days like that, I forget about Jesus. I end up weakening my heart and allowing it to be ripe for the attacks of the enemy. Recently, when dealing with this problem, my whole being felt weighted down by the enemy. Then, my mind is clouded with bitterness, dis-contentedness, and depression. Praise the Lord that He remains faithful even when I do not.
On this particular day, I ended up having lunch with some friends who spoke of the great spiritual bondage they are facing while serving as missionaries. As we talked, I felt the pressure and angst of my heart lifting. I had been under spiritual attack. Thank you, Lord, for Your faithfulness and the faithful brothers and sisters You brought to me in my time of need.
Following that very emotionally difficult and draining day came an equally difficult and draining day in the classroom. I was exhausted and my students in the afternoon ran all over me. I did not know what to correct first, since I didn't feel like I could fight any battles. The Lord saw me through and helped me keep my cool during the rest of class. I was able to take a short nap before eating dinner.
As I sat and read my Bible, I came across the verses above. It reminded me that even though the last few days were stressful and tiring, the Lord is still worthy of my praise. He will be made known in all the world and all will bless Him - starting with me. During my good days and my weak days - every days is the day the Lord has made.
"This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalms 118:24