It's been a rough week. I am not lying to you when I say that I am ready for this week to be over. It's been a culmination of a myriad of stresses that has now taken a turn for the worst and has manifested itself as some sort of nasty cold.

I've been sitting here tonight, reviewing the last week in my mind--my struggles to maintain faith that this budget can be raised; the challenge of trying to come up with effective fund-raising ideas; the oversleeping that made me late for work and threw off a day completely; the pain I unintentionally caused a close friend; the excitement I feel for others as they set off on new adventures; and the sadness I feel because I want to do that, too.

And as I replayed those things in my head, I easily imagined the burning in my throat as a miniature monster (I immediately envisioned a pint-sized Edward Scissorhands) trying to claw his way out of my throat.

Sadness.

And then, I thought whoa, now. This attitude is not okay. Yes, it's been a rough week. Yes, I am legitimately allowed to feel sad and frustrated by some of the things that have happened recently. But I am not allowed to sit here and wallow and be miserable--even if the rain outside is the perfect soundtrack to my melancholy.

Then I was reminded of the "Desert Song" by Hillsong United. The bridge in that song goes,

All of my life, in every season, You are still God, and I have a reason to sing. I have a reason to worship.

I cannot control the situations or circumstances around me. I cannot control when alarm clocks don't go off, the influx of $58,410, or the emotions of the people in my life.

BUT that's no excuse to sit around in some pensive and tragic period of mourning.

Because all of my life, in every season--good, bad, stressful, joyful, dry, rich, whatever--God is still God. He's still sovereign. He's still good. He's still holding me in his perfect hands and guiding me through his perfect plan. And because God is still God, I have a reason to sing.

Whatever life throws at me, it's always appropriate for me to worship God.

So what do I do now? Well, now I surrender this week and everything it brought with it. I lay it all down at the feet of Jesus and focus the rest of my energy on singing for the one person who created my voice from dust and wove it together in my mother's womb.

It's been a rough week, yes. But I have a reason to sing.


Click here to listen to "Desert Song"