Rainy Day Mondays don't always bring me down...

I stayed up way too late than I should have last night, which is not surprising at all. I have decided that I am going to bed early tonight, so I can get up on time for choir in the morning. I believe my cold is getting better, although it has migrated into a cough (a mild intermittent one at best). Despite this, I went for a 15 minute run this morning, in the rain, and it felt so refreshing. I am so happy because I have kept up exercising every other day for a whole week now. This hasn't happened in so long! I just hope I can continue doing it, because I feel so much better after I run.

I have been working through 2 Samuel in my devos, and this morning I was reading in chapter 12, the part where God shows his displeasure about David's sin with Bathsheba and against her husband Uriah(whom David killed so that he could marry Bathsheba). In this chapter, God allows David's son with Bathsheba to get sick, and immediately David fasts and cries out to God to heal his son. For seven days, David fasts and lies before God. However, when his son dies, he washes and dresses himself and goes to the House of the Lord to worship him. This act astounds me (and apparently David's servants also). It doesn't say so in the text, but I am sure that David was repentent of his sin, and even though he wanted his son to live, he recognized that God is ruler of all. He went and worshiped God despite all that had happened, giving back all the glory that was due Him as the Almighty. God punished him for his suffering, yet David continued to worship Him because he knew that the consequences were as a result of his sin. As I read on in the chapter, it went on to say that afterwards, Bathsheba gave birth to Solomon, and God was pleased with him. My Bible notes said that this is a priceless example of God's grace to David and Bathsheba, because their marriage came about through sinful ways, yet he chose to continue the line of Judah through their descendent. It is good to be reminded of how God's grace flows upon us on times when we seem to be least deserving of it. I also like being reminded of how God is so active in our lives. He used the prophet Nathan to convey his deep displeasure of David's actions, and He punished David, not because He is a hateful God, but because 1.) He abhors sin and wants us to remember this and 2.) because he loves us, and wants us to do what is right. The answer is simple: God expects obedience from us, and when we do not obey Him, He teaches us in the most unexpected ways why we must obey.

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I am sitting here listening to some music by a Turkish woman, seriously loving how diverse God made everyone, and how dance plays such a part in music. N.B.- I am sitting here. But barely. All I want to do is get up and dance! And I wish I knew enough bellydance to bust out some sweet moves. ah....i love dancing. and with every breath God gives me, I will continue to dance until the day I die!

Love,
ashleigh