Day 155-MUSIC

Hey guys,

     So, for me, music has always been my joy. I love people and everything, but quite honestly, NOTHING gets me as happy and joyful as rocking out to my favorite song on the radio. Many times, God has used music to speak to me and let me know, "It's gonna be ok. Everything may be falling apart, but keep in mind, it's also falling into my PERFECT placement." The holiday season without Graham was hard last year, but this holiday season is another story entirely. Pretty much since Thanksgiving, I have been really struggling to find the joy and happiness that often come so easily to me, the holidays were stirring up a lot of sadness, and in turn, depression. That right there is a scary word "depression". Last summer, right before I went off to my student conference, I was told that I had a severe depression, so bad that I may need to be hospitalized in the future, and I went off to this conference basically "shell-shocked". At the conference though, I saw God working through my friends, my adult leaders, the speakers, and the bands that were there, and it ended with me being able to see first hand what it would be like a few months from now if I let this depression control me, and I made up my mind. I simply wouldn't let it control me. Obviously, I still struggle with it(thus, the reason I'm writing this), but in the midst of my struggle, I KNOW that God is working in me, and I need to welcome that struggle as a opportunity to grow closer to him. But back to music...as I was looking over my many, MANY videos that I've made over the years, I stumbled upon one in particular that really stopped me in my tracks. I had made the video literally DAYS after we moved, and it really struck me. My attitude then was, "Alright God, here I am, ready to do your will. Take my life and let it be yours." So, who am I to sit here and say "woe is me, my brother died."? What about all those many people in the bible who lose SO much more than their brother, and still have faith in God? Consider Job, Job lost ABSOLUTELY everyone and everything that he cared about, because Satan wanted to test his faith in God. Job lost his ENTIRE family, all his friends, his home, and everything he loved, yet he was able to praise God through it all. Now THAT is faith! And THAT is what I want my life to be about! I've made a video of me singing this song that I came across tonight, it's called, "Desert Song". The chorus is simple, yet amazing, it just says, "I will bring PRAISE, I will bring PRAISE, no weapon formed against me shall remain, I will REJOICE, I will declare, GOD IS MY VICTORY AND HE IS HERE." The other part of the song that really speaks to me is the bridge, "All of my life, in every season, you are STILL God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship." Hopefully this post will encourage some of you who are struggling with life and the holidays! 
                                       
<3 Always,
Rose