the river bubbles
with a happy song of praise—
God reigns in the earth
Day 7: This is a good day to be happy
Not every day is a “good” day. In fact, some days are down right horrible. Today might have been one of those days. I have a health issue that causes pain, and for the past three weeks I’ve been hurting every day. Well, today the pain was worse than usual, and I only made it through 15 minutes of work before my supervisor told me to go home. I told her that I could hurt at work as easily as I could at home, but she didn’t see it that way. So, I went home.
The pain subsided to a tolerable level, and I got to paint, do some research, and write a few poems. It was very relaxing. I even got to sit outside for a little while before the rain came. It was a good day to be happy. If I had not found something to be happy about, then the pain would have been unbearable.
Our heavenly Father never gives us more than we can bear. And He always gives us something to smile about. What has made you smile today?
Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
For Leslie Saeta’s September 30-in-30 challenge, I am creating greeting cards, but each week I’ll experiment with a different medium and/or technique. Last week’s focus was single line art, but now it’s time for some watercolor. I’m not really very good at watercolor, nor do I have time to study techniques this time around. So the next six cards will be simple illustrations from my imagination, nothing fancy, nothing professional, but made with love for my campus kids.
Today’s picture is not from a photo, but just a few elements that I put together from my memory of time spent in the mountains. There are elements of the painting that I like, and there are some that I don’t much care for. Also, I learned a vital lesson with this one: the typewriter does not like heavy paper. I tried to type directly onto the card this time, and it didn’t work too well because the paper didn’t feed properly around the carriage. I was nearly sick about it, but had already put a lot of time into making the card, so I decided not to start over. To quote a movie our family loves (RV), “It’s not the end of the world, but you can see it from here.”
The poem is based on Revelation 19:6,
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Mistakes, pain, and all… It was a good day to be happy.
The painting before I typed the message on it
The Abundant Heart 
I’m glad you found strength despite your pain. I also have a medical condition. God bless!
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God bless you too! I read something today about pain, that it is necessary to our freedom. If we lived in a world with no violence, no crime, no danger, and no pain, there would be no acts of love, no missions of mercy, no relief, no rescue, no healing, and no comfort. In short, we understand good in the context of bad. If there were no bad, we could not comprehend the good.
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I’m so sorry to hear this, Angela! I pray God brings you relief from the physical pain! Huge but gentle hugs to you, my talented friend! ❤ ❤
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Please, Lynn, don’t be sorry. Have you ever read the book, Where’s God When It Hurts, by Philip Yancey? I’m in chapter 8, and I’ve learned a boatload about pain. It is not a curse, but a gift. Studies have shown that we will not stop doing something harmful until it hurts. The question of suffering is not “Why?” but “To what end?” To ask “why” is to look backwards. But when you ask “to what end,” you look forward, with hope, and with an understanding that the suffering has a purpose that you may never fully comprehend. Job never knew why he suffered. God did not reveal His purpose; He revealed Himself.
These are just a few of the nuggets I have gleaned from this book. My pain is nothing compared what many others go through, but it is a gift from God, and I thank Him for it. I don’t always smile through the pain, but I rejoice that He is using it to build His character traits in me and to rid me of myself.
Sorry I’ve waxed philosophical in a comment. Maybe someday this will become the basis of a blog post. 😀 Love you ❤
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