Grinds in my Coffee, Tears in My Eyes (1Thessalonians 5:16-18)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18New International Version (NIV)
¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Last week I had one of THOSE days. You know, the kind of day that when you climb into bed at night you feel like the day just beat on you for its entirety. Yeah, that was my day.  :/

It literally felt like everything I had to do, I had to find a way around an obstacle. I felt discouraged and sad for most of my day (not my normal attitude) but sometimes you just have days like that. As it was time to go to bed, I was so thankful that a day is only a day and tomorrow is a new one...fresh slate. Funny thing, often I wish I had more time in my day....that was NOT the case that day. I was thinking about much of my day, and although I felt justified in being a little coarse with my family, I felt even worse that my example for the day had been cranky, grouchy, and short with them. UGH, shall I mention the "mommy-guilt" that I got to experience as I was trying to head off to sleep to top off my day.

That particular day before 7:00am I was already mentally defeated for the day...the coffee grinds in my morning cup of happiness confirmed for me what kind of day I was going to have and the tears rolled. I got caught up in all the wrongs that my morning had dealt me that I continued the theme throughout my day. I don't know why the grinds sent me over the edge, it would not have been that big of a deal to filter them out. But instead, I dumped the whole thing in a huff and started a new pot. My husband just stood in the middle of the kitchen looking helplessly at me while I whined and huffed about how my morning was going along. I was not experiencing joy and I was not focused on being thankful. Frankly, I was annoyed and pouty.

How in the world am I suppose to be joyful and thankful about the coffee grinds in my cup? Well, that's just a circumstance. And circumstances change. I could have found many things to be thankful for at the point (ie I have coffee in my house, the smell of coffee, the ability to make my coffee for me), but I CHOSE not to be joyful or thankful. And the result was negativity and sadness in my heart for most of my day. What would have happened had I chose to be joyful? I'm fairly certain that my husband would not have left for work with such a fretful look on his face, my children would have had a calmer morning, I would have had a COMPLETELY different kind of day and I would have brought glory to my God. Hmmm....one choice can make that big of a difference? Yep! I'm sure of it! God's love, mercy, compassion, grace are all not affected by my circumstances. They are constant. God calls us to "rejoice always...give thanks in all circumstances." Always and ALL are pretty definitive words. There's not a grey area there to do otherwise....even if there are coffee grinds in my cup. His love is suppose to be enough for us. And if I had put things in perspective that morning and prayed over my circumstances and what my heart was feeling, I'm sure my day would have gone much differently. I decided in that moment to be in control and whine instead of giving it to God and allowing Him control in my life. He desires that His love be enough for us and lead our lives...not our circumstances. So I pledge that the next time I find coffee grinds in my cup, I will dance in the aroma of the freshly brewed happiness and I will seek His way and rejoice in that instead of pouting about the ever changing circumstances of life.