Isaiah 61:3(NKJV)  To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

So, I’ve had so much happen over the past week in my life personally and a scripture that just keeps going around and around in my spirit is part of Isaiah 61:3 which says:

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness

Sometimes things can just weigh a person down! Oh.. don’t get all spiritual on me and say that doesn’t happen to you.. TRUTH 101… It happens to EVERYONE!!!!!

The key is..   What do you do when that happens?

1. Realize Someone does REALLY care!

It’s easy to get sucked up into a pity party.. I’ve thrown thousands of them over the years and I’m actually quite good at it! 😉 So, DON’T! Even though it feels like you’re alone, even though it feels like everyone is against you, that is not TRUTH. The first part of today’s scripture reads that He will console, He will give beauty for ashes, He will give the oil of joy for mourning! You just have to get into the flow. Things have to change. Things need to look different.. How do you do that?

2. Change Your Clothes!

We have all heard that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect different results right? So why would anyone want to keep wearing out the same thing all the time and expect something different?  You have to change your clothes!! My favorite part of this scripture is putting on the garment of praise to lift a spirit of heaviness. Sometimes, my children put up a huge fuss about changing their clothes.. stomping around the house, saying I hate my clothes, this looks stupid etc.. You get the picture. Why would we continue to wear out something that does us no good. It doesn’t even fit right and that just plain hurts!

Putting on a garment of praise = Regardless of what is going on, in, or around me, I know who consoles me, I know who gives me beauty for ashes, I know who gives me the oil of joy for mourning.. I just have to change clothes. Putting it on means to put off something else. Put off complaining, Put off self-seeking. Put off pouting. Put off all the ashes of your life, put off the option of only mourning, put off that no one knows what you’re going through.

3. SING UNTIL IT LIFTS!

The garment of praise is also just that.. PUT YOUR PRAISE ON!!!! Like for real.. get alone, find some music that exalts the Lord, music that sings hope, peace, joy, sound mind kinda stuff and AS you are putting on that garment of praise, you actually begin wearing it around and before you know it.. SOMETHING LIFTS!

The last part of today’s scripture is an AWESOME summary of what happens after you change your clothes.

You are called a TREE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS… PLANTED BY GOD HIMSELF!!!

That is amazing! To go from a place where you don’t hear anything from anyone, all ashy and dry without a song in your heart to a place of freedom and hope.  A place where things are no longer heavy, but light. Now a place where you may have been a drag to others around you to being a tree of righteousness that God gets all the glory in!!!

That sounds like a better place to me. It works. I’ve tried. All you have to do is do it. Stop with the excuses, start with the trusting. Stop with the heavy clothes and start with a whole new outfit of freedom!!  Whatever you do and whatever you are going through in it all.. please just remember….

#GodsGotThis