Saturday, March 24, 2012

An Emotional Mess

                                                                                                           

I'm an emotional person. I can barely hear the song *"Butterfly Kisses" without my eyes tearing up and choking back the emotion that wells up in me. When my husband and I sang that song for several weddings, I always had to sing it at least five times before I could get through it without crying. In fact, I dare you to read these lyrics and not feel emotional:

Butterfly Kisses Songwriters: Carlisle, Bob; Thomas, Randy;
There's two things I know for sure
She was sent here from heaven
And she's daddy's little girl
As I drop to my knees by her bed at night
She talks to Jesus and I close my eyes
And I thank God for all of the joy in my life
Oh but most of all

For butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer
Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair
Walk beside the pony daddy it's my first ride
I know the cake looks funny daddy but I sure tried

Oh with all that I've done wrong
I must have done something right
To deserve a hug every mornin'
And butterfly kisses at night

Sweet 16 today
She's lookin' like her mama a little more every day
One part woman the other part girl
To perfume and make up from ribbons and curls
Trying her wings out in a great big world
But I remember...

Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer
Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair
You know how much I love you daddy
But if you don't mind
I'm only gonna kiss you on the check this time

Oh with all that I've done wrong
I must have done something right
To deserve her love every mornin'
And butterfly kisses at night

She'll change her name today
She'll make a promise and I'll give her away
Standing in the bride's room just staring at her
She asked me what I'm thinkin'
And I said I'm not sure
I just feel like I'm loosin' my baby girl
And she leaned over

Gave me butterfly kisses with her mama there
Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair
Walk me down the aisle daddy
It's just about time
Does my wedding gown look pretty daddy?
Daddy's don't cry

Oh with all that I've done wrong
I must have done something right
To deserve her love every mornin'
And butterfly kisses at night


In my opinion, if you don't feel something when reading those lyrics, your "feeler" must be broken!  Thinking about my kids when they were little and the fact that they will leave us in the coming years to start their own families--well, that just does me in! I think it's pretty normal to get emotional for sentimental reasons, and fortunately those emotions are fleeting, but often in life emotions can become bigger and stronger than what is comfortable for us to deal with.

In Psalm 31:9-10, David shares emotions that are deep and troubled, "Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.  For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing:  my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed."  Have you ever felt some of these emotions that David has laid out here?
  • eyes that have cried so much that they feel they can cry no more
  • a soul that feels consumed and weary from such heavy emotion
  • a lack of hunger or even a stomach that is sick and in knots
  • sadness that is so overwhelming that words cannot even express; hence, a deep sighing takes place
  • the feeling of a lack of energy and strength to face the day
I love that fact that the Psalms display such humanity!  David was an emotional mess! I feel comforted by knowing that people in the Bible were just as emotional back then as I can be now in the 21st century. I also love how David says in verse 14 of the same chapter (31), "But I trusted in thee, O Lord:  I said, Thou art my God."  Especially in those times of deep emotion, God wants to know that we trust Him and that we believe that He will carry us through the valley of sorrow, doubt, fear, grief, and failure.

The ray of light that shines through the tough times is the hope we have in the Lord. Even if you don't feel strong right now, there is hope. The last verse (34) of that same chapter says, "Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord."  I can be glad and encouraged (or filled with courage once again) because my hope is in the Lord. There is not a thing that happens to us that God does not know or care about. If he keeps count of every hair on my head then surely he knows every other thing that is occuring in my life.

BE OF GOOD COURAGE, AND HE SHALL STRENGTHEN YOUR HEART, ALL YE THAT HOPE IN THE LORD!

* Butterfly kisses are when the eyelashes are brushed against the cheek

1 comment:

  1. This is lovely, Laurie, and so encouraging. You are good at expressing your heart. If we live long enough...we all face these moments...days...weeks...months, and even years. Sometimes, like David, it's because of an enemy that is just not going to accept you or rest until they have destroyed you. Sometimes, like David said, it's because of "mine iniquity" (excusing or giving "good reasons" for our sin). Not every thing we face is Satan's attack. Not everything we face is an attack. As you said, God knows, allows and even plans some of what makes us an emotional mess. If we CHOOSE to "Be of good courage..." we can learn from the struggles and be better equipped to fill the role God has for us. The backside of every cloud is bright and beautiful! Keeping faith establishes courage, and courage gets you to that backside of the cloud. David's life was not all blessing, but he was always blessed. So are you! So are we all. Love you.

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