Lift Up Your Heads and Rejoice!

It's Friday, and are you glad the week is over!  Too much pressure at work, not enough time to get everything done at home.  You're worried about your kids and your parents are always badgering you to call more often.  Gas prices keep going up, the government is ruining the country, and this idiot in front of you is going ten miles under the speed limit.  You've got that thing to go to tonight, and why did you ever agree to that? Man, does your stomach hurt!  You don't like the way you look these days, but who has time to go the gym?  You'd think someone besides me in this house could pick up after themselves!  Why won't this computer do what I want it to, rather than what I tell it to?  The hedges need trimmed - when do people find time to do that?  I don't like the way my car sounds.  I SWEAR IF ONE MORE THING GOES WRONG......................

Now just stop a minute.  No, really, you have a minute. You may think you don't, but you do.  Before you go through your day with your head down, endlessly tallying all your problems and grievances...................

Just stop.  And lift up your head.

When we allow life to overwhelm us, we end up only looking at ourselves; but when we lift up our heads, we see beyond ourselves.  When we lift up our heads........

We remember that we have people we love and who love us.

We realize that most of the things we think are important, really aren't.

We see the people who really need help.

We understand that most of us have food to eat, a bed to sleep in, and conveniences and luxuries beyond the imaginings of most of the people in the world.

But most of all, when we lift up our heads, we see the beauty, majesty and grace of the world God gave us.

Take a minute and thank Him for it.  All of it.  Instead of stumbling, exhausted across the week's finish line.......

Stop.

Take a minute.

Lift up your head and rejoice!