What Would Happen If??

Today's devotion didn't hit me at first (that tells you where my mind is, huh?)...but after I read it again, I realized it's exactly what I needed to hear. I love how God does that, don't you? *rolls eyes at self*


The verse of the day is Psalm 16:11: 

You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

The author reminds us that happiness is fleeting, but joy is eternal. Joy sticks with us through stressful days because joy is found in our ever-present Jesus. 


Then she raises the question: What would happen if? We're supposed to fill in the blank, comparing our old habit to a new, Christ-centered habit. THAT'S when my mind started whirling. Oyyyyyyyy....I got a lot of fill-in-the-blanks!

• What would happen if
instead of instead of buying more new stuff for our new little house, I sat and thanked God for what we've already filled it with?

• What would happen if
instead of feeling sorry for myself 'cuz my knees seems to have gone over the peak and are on the slippery downhill slope to another 6-week round of painful injections, I thanked God for the relatively pain-free 6 months the last round provided me....and not jump to conclusions, but trust my Great Physician to guide me on how to proceed? (This is the one I'm stuck on. Could you tell?)

• What would happen if
instead of being angry with a loved one, I immediately stopped when that emotion arises and pray for them, anticipating God working to correct the situation within His will?

• What would happen if
instead of worrying about my Mama and telling her what *I* think should happen now, I pray that God continues to heal her, and trust He will speak to her as to what her future holds? (That one's for you, Mom. *giggle*)

I'm sure you've thought of a few "what if's" yourself, haven't you? It will be a while before we fully-master our old, never-really-work-anyway habits ....but with Jesus, we have the assurance these are just struggles of this world. We won't have any need for 'temporary fixes' when we're in the presence of Jesus!


And THAT'S the kind of  hope that's gonna carry me through this day! Thank You, Jesus, for always providing exactly what my heart needs to hear. I wanna be a 'what if' kinda gal!!