Whiny Wednesday

By Shelly Burke, Editor

I was feeling very whiny by Wednesday of this week.  It just had not been my week (all three days of it). I was frustrated by a sore back (which prevented me from going to Wayne on Tuesday to pick up the Nebraska Family Times and getting it delivered and mailed, AND kept  me from attending Bible study on Tuesday), my vehicle being in the shop, the dead battery on the vehicle I had borrowed, and my e-mail not sending OR receiving mail. Of course once I began listing my complaints the list went on and on…

I do not like to get in that “pity-party” state of mind; I try to start counting blessings rather than complaining, but on this Whiney Wednesday that just was not working. And the more I complained to myself, the more “bad” things I thought of. And the more things I thought of, the more exhausted and discouraged I felt.

Finally, determined to get out of that negative spiral, I opened my Bible. It was in my mind to turn to Psalm 71 and when I saw the title of the Psalm, Forsake Me Not When My Strength is Spent, it was very clear Who put that thought into my head.

I read through the whole Psalm and immediately underlined these words:

My praise is continually of You. (v. 6b)

My mouth is filled with Your praise, and with Your glory all the day. (v. 8)

My mouth will tell of Your righteous acts…for their number is past my knowledge. (v. 15)

I will also praise You with the harp…I will sing praises to You with the lyre. (v. 22)

My lips will shout with joy…(v. 23a)

And my tongue will talk of Your righteous help all day long. (v. 24)

I realized how much I had to praise the Lord for when I started writing things down:

·              Morgan is home on spring break so I got to see her every day this week—and she went with me yesterday to mail and deliver papers. We had a great day together! I think sometimes God allows glitches in our schedules to keep us flexible and show us that life goes on, despite those glitches.

·              My sore back was almost all the way better and I was able to work on Wednesday (at my new job, which I love—another thing to praise the Lord for!)

·              I have always dreaded vehicle problems. I don’t understand vehicles AT ALL and have often worried, “What will I do if my car won’t start and I have to get to work?” God forced me to confront that fear on Wednesday morning at 5:10 AM when the car I was borrowing wouldn’t start. I remembered reading about a new cab company here in Columbus, and immediately called them. The dispatcher said that normally they didn’t start until 6:00 AM…but she heard the desperation in my voice (I’m supposed to be at work at 5:30) and said she’d call to see if anyone was up. The very nice man who picked me up a few minutes later said he usually didn’t turn his pager on while he was getting his car ready for the day…but he had on Wednesday. I got to work in time to prepare for my first patient! (And the car started easily after a jump start…the nice man who did that said it had probably been weak because of the unseasonably cold weather.)

·              My vehicle is FINALLY back—YAY!

·              I am so very, very blessed with friends who encourage me, pray for me, make me laugh, sympathize when I’m having a bad day…THANK YOU, friends!

·              The April issue of the Nebraska Family Times looks great! I’m blessed to get to do something I so enjoy.

·              Despite indications to the contrary, the calendar says it is spring and the snow we’re getting will not last long.

Once I started, I realized that the number of things I can praise God for is truly “past my knowledge.”  Rather than complain I will “tell of Your righteous acts,” “sing praises,” and “shout with joy!” 

And next time I start counting complaints rather than being thankful, I know right where I’ll turn.