For the May edition of “Our Hope,” I was given the choice of meditation categories from the list in Philippians 4:8, and I chose praiseworthy.

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When we moved from Northern Indiana to the foothills of the Northeast Georgia mountains, the culture shock was real.  I entered school in Lula as a fifth grader, acclimating to strong southern accents all around.  I happily discovered a couple of things: southern hospitality is a true phenomenon, and my grandfather was an expert at praising our God.  

I remember a beautiful, sunny day.  The green grass was freshly mowed, beds of roses planted by my grandfather dotted the landscape with red, pink, and yellow; and the sky was blue with white fluffy clouds.  My grandfather, stretching his arms out wide, called out in a loud voice, “Thank you LORD for this BEAUTIFUL day!”  I was shocked by this outward show of praising God.  I had never seen anything like it before, and his example that day (followed by countless public displays of genuine affection for our God) will remain forever etched on my heart.

Have you ever been given a love letter?  A handwritten, thought out, beautiful declaration of love?  Or a letter from a treasured friend?  Or perhaps a drawing from your child that encapsulates the safety they feel in your love and protection?  That feeling of your heart being so full ~ feeling so seen, so cherished… in a world full of challenges (and perhaps reminders of our shortcomings)… is similar to how I feel when I see the sunrise or sunset.  When I see the vastness and beauty of the ocean at our favorite spot in South Carolina.  When I sit under my favorite tree on our deck, and listen to the birdsong filling the air around me.  When I see monarch butterflies laying eggs in my garden, which then hatch, and transform into butterflies themselves.  When I held my babies for the very first time.  All of these: love letters from God. The prompt to “rejoice always” in Philippians 4:4 is easy in these moments.  These are times when joy overflows in my heart like a fountain!

While those joyous events are so appreciated, the most potent “love letter” moments have perhaps been in the darkest of times, because in heartache so thick that it felt difficult to breathe… God has been near and He has provided relief.   In a hospital setting with my Mom last week, I was doing my best to advocate for her.   After hours of getting nowhere, I had a moment that felt so utterly helpless.  Praying to God with my head in my hands, I told Him that I had run out of ideas… I felt scared and alone, and I needed Him.  In the next hour, my sweet husband and best friends sent texts that they were praying.  A doctor started advocating with me, bringing me to tears with his support and genuine care.  A kind social worker stopped by to speak to me alone in the hallway with even more options to my Mom’s difficult situation.  Friends, the love letter from God felt bigger in that moment than the beauty of a hundred sunsets at Edisto.  Because He was near, and He heard me, and He loves me ~ I was able to breathe.  When I thought the darkness would swallow me, His light saved me.   This is what “rejoicing always” means to me.  While my shoulders and stomach still held the tension of the situation, He showed up and gave me hope.  He lifted me up, and His praise was on my lips.

I thank God for my grandfather and his example as an expert in praise!  Friends, we can mirror this kind of adoration for our Father in heaven, and with practice can also become experts at praising our God!  We never know who might be impacted as I was, changing the trajectory to enter a very real relationship offered by Him.  This precious relationship offered by God has been foundational since childhood for me, thanks to my grandfather’s consistent example.  God has been my steady Hand and a firm foundation.  God has offered a love I could count on, because He is steady and will never forsake me.  The beauty of His creation and the kind souls He allows me to live my days with: these are all love letters from Him.  

Our God is so good, and I will daily write my love letter back to Him. He is worthy of praise in our happiest moments and in our darkest of times.

Praise the LORD, my soul!