When God Cracks His Knuckles At Me

You ever have an "off" day? Like, one of those days where things just kind of pile up and make you think staying in bed should have been an option? These past couple of days have been like that, and unfortunately, it's made me a little moody. If I were my parent, I'd put myself in a time out or force myself to take a nap.

Sometimes, I whine at God about my moods. My prayers sometimes sound like this: "Dear God. Stop it. Amen."

We get moody. It's a thing, and it's okay. Last Sunday I taught an adult ed class on the Psalms and pointed out that God is big enough to handle our moods, whatever they might be. King David certainly brought the whole gamut of emotion to God in his poetry.
But sometimes I need that personal reminder that there are things I can do besides whine. Most of us need to remember that there are things we can do besides be moody. We can have a moody moment; but don't live there! These are the times when I think God sits back in his chair and cracks his knuckles, the way we do when we're about to do something hardcore.

Tongue in cheek, I sometimes call it "divine showing off." But God is God, so God can do some pretty amazing things. Like listen to my whining and get my attention in a single morning devotion. So in the midst of my mood swing, I read this devotion from Henri Nouwen's book Bread for the Journey. And I stopped whining, drank some more coffee, and read a little Bible. I also inhaled some lavender scented oil and folded an origami lily because a little mindfulness always helps with my prayers. So now my prayer sounds like this: "MESSAGE RECEIVED." Pause, and sigh. Smile a little. "Thanks, God. Amen."



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