Hear me out for a few.
What if you receive a not-so-nice & unexpected news? What if you'd get glad instead?
What if you intentionally celebrated the bad news, because the Lord is still with you?
"What faith!" I'd respond.
Our immediate reaction to un-great news is to crash or to become sad, "I didn't expect this Lord." (And this coming from a very emotional girl who's pretty sensitive to any news.)
Last night mom came through the door with tears.
Work has been incredibly challenging for her & it even seems to me like bullying... yes within adults.
They gave mom her "permanent" schedule for a whole year & she will be closing on her every shift... which pretty much takes any time away from being with family (she'll be arriving home late) & even any chance of going to church. Supposedly, since she's new, everyone else had first pick on the hours they wanted and she got the leftovers... aka the worst hours that no one wanted.
My dad's reaction was like a lion 
...trying to protect his tribe &, while trying to reason through solutions for my mother's sadness & seeking justice, even resorting to the "Ooooh-if-I-would've-been-there," scenario.
Me? I was already planning on writing a letter to the manager or going in to try to speak to someone.
When emotions had subsided, we really began thinking in the spirit. Mom was the first one that resorted to prayer. Humbling.
Then dad remembered something that the family used to do in the past, when I was younger. He said that whenever we received bad news, we would intentionally go out & celebrate. We would go out to eat & enjoy the time. Oh how that blatantly thwarts the enemy's plans!! Then the Lord is glorified because He then reminds us that whatever comes our way went through His sifting fingers first. He remains with us.
So that's exactly what we did last night. We went out & celebrated, thanking the Lord.
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" Phil. 4:4
YES He is still God, and He remains! Amen and Hallelujah!
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