Mrs. Cranky Von Grouchy

I was a grump this weekend. At one point, I remember having these thoughts; Mr. L must feel like a perplexed parent of a two-year-old right now. He’s trying to find the source of the fussiness so he can fix it, but I can’t communicate why I am so desperately grumpy. I was like that all weekend-irritated and not satisfied with anything.

In turn, everything I touched turned to dog poop. I tried to decorate cookies…dog poop. I tried to make dough…dog poop. I tried to make vegetable beef soup…super grandiose dog poop. I had the Midas touch; that is if everything King Midas touched turned to...


...wait for it...


dog poop.


No matter what I did, seemingly nothing could pry me out of grump town. I decided to settle in and make myself comfortable since I was doomed for an extended stay. My mood worsened as I got ready to attend a church function last night. It was the perfect storm--Sunday evening blues + grumpy mood = Super Grump. I was intolerable.

I put on a happy face as we joined some friends for a small group.

I was faking.

Inside I just wanted to recede into my misery. Then something happened.

I faked happiness so well that I actually started feeling better. At this point I cracked my first genuine smile of the day. As I met some new faces and the fellowship began, my mood lifted. As we prayed and spoke about the sermon, my mood soared. The Holy Spirit revealed something important to me.

His message was short and simple--You have so much to be thankful for. You have love, laughter, health, friends, and most importantly, you have Me.

Friends, I have to tell you, there is no substitute for genuine divine joy. In retrospect, I think my grumpy mood stemmed from hunger. My soul was hungry for divine joy and it was finally fed last night. I woke up this morning outside the gates of grump town, feeling renewed and refreshed.

Will I return to grump town? Absolutely. Will I be back sooner rather than later? Probably. It's just hopefully next time I will remember to check my soul before I hit the road.