Can't I Play Dead Today??

I woke up this morning in a such a depressed mood. It was a hard night's sleep, full of restless dreams about my husband, who isn't here. I felt sad, tired and really just wanted to pull the covers over my head and pretend that none of it was happening. I saw this pic on a friend's blog tonight and it is a total representation of me this morning:

If I play dead, it'll all go away!

Buuut, seeing as how I had promised grocery shopping and to go pick up my daughter's friend for the day...I had to get up. As I was trying to encourage myself up (by pulling the laptop out and putting on E! channel. Uh, no, it doesn't really work well, but....), I got a text from a friend asking me if I wanted to go to a free concert tonight. Third Day (a really wonderful, amazing Christian band) was at the Harvest Crusade that night 5 minutes from home...and all I had to do was get into her car when she came to pick us up...

My first reaction was to start a reply that read: "No, I don't think I am up to it..." Then the Holy Spirit yelled "What are you thinking?!?! This is Third Day...it is FREE...and you really need to get out and get the stink blown off you!!!" (Yes, He really talks to me that way at times...but only when He knows I need it "told like it is"...) So...I said yes...and my how God works!

First of all, it was a beautiful Southern California night out with a dear friend and our kids. Second, we got close parking and seats in the 2nd row, stage left. Third, the band was amaaaaazing and I even got a smiling acknowledgement by the lead singer as I screamed out my love for them!

If that wasn't enough, we got the total honor of watching people file from the stadium seats out onto the field as they publicly declared their prayer for salvation. The worship singers had to sing for nearly 20 minutes to allow for all the people that came down from their seats...it was such a moving moment for me to see them all.

And as I stood there with my heart so full of joy for the hearts that were changing, God whispered to me to say that it was for moments like THIS that my husband is so far away...that for reasons like THIS, he is in a town full of people who need the love and encouragement that he was made to give away! That even though it was hard to be apart from him, God was using my husband in lives that are being changed for His glory. Can I just say...I left Angels stadium on a tremendous high!!

So after all of that blessing...I came home to find that not only was there an update from Team Brazil...but my husband was the writer!! It took me only 1 paragraph to realize that I was "listening" to him "talk" and was even more overjoyed!! (You can check it out at http://bbfbrazilteam.blogspot.com ) He posted pics of one kind of "encouragement" God is using him to give to others...I will put one here as it made me smile! (He is the one all the way to the left...)

And as if THAT weren't enough, I logged onto my Facebook to find not only a wall post from my wonderful hubby...but also a beautiful email from him.

In more ways that one, my cup runneth over tonight...and it leaves me breathless to think it all started with me wanting to just play dead this morning! Praise God for telling it like it is...and for giving me a heart that listened!!

Looking up as always...
~Bina~