PRAISE IS A CHOICE - Part 3 - Miss Moxie - A Modern Day Example

A couple of days ago I wrote a blog commenting on the "I will(s)" of the first two verses of Psalm 9:

"I will praise You, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.  I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High."

It's author, Israel's King David, who was no stranger to hardship.  In this particular psalm and in Psalm 10 which some also attribute to him, he had an issue with the wicked.  Yet, he begins with a determination to praise the Lord, to tell others about His greatness, to be glad in Him, and sing praises to His name. It's as if David was saying, "No matter what is going on in my life, Lord.  No matter how much the wicked seem to prosper while I wonder why you seem so far away - I will make a determined CHOICE to praise You because of who You are."

Last night I was reminded once again that praise is a choice.

This summer our youth group is making a second trip back to Nassau, Bahamas, to work at All Saints Camp, a residence for those with HIV/AIDS.  I was privileged to go along two summers ago, and to be invited to go again this summer.

Last night we had a church wide fund raising dinner to help offset the cost of a record number of teens who want to go. Some who had been there before shared about the impact the previous trip made on them.  Yes, it was great to demolish an old sidewalk and then mix cement to lay 65 feet of new sidewalk.  Yes, it was great to work at framing what would be a new residence to replace some of the older, deteriorating ones.  Yes, it was an indescribable blessing to work together as the Body of Christ, a team, who grew to love and care about one another.  But the overwhelmingly biggest impact spoken about last night was the one made by various residents.

It occurred to me driving home that AIDS is the modern day equivalent of leprosy.  Those suffering from it, at least as they appear at All Saints (sadly, the closest I've come to the AIDS pandemic), are outcasts.  The missionary pastor who founded the camp died 5 years ago and since then the camp has fallen into disrepair.  When we were last there, one of the healthiest residents was caring for the most debilitated ones, and she was obviously overwhelmed.  Toilet paper was in short supply.  A medical team from somewhere visited a couple of times while we were there and there was a crew who arrived every day to cook.  But it seemed that the ones providing the most help that summer were the short term missionary teams like ours.

The living conditions for the residents are primitive.  Each residence is a duplex.  You can practically stretch out your arms and touch the side walls, they are so small.  'm guessing each side of the duplex is maybe 8 feet by 10 feet.  You'd be amazed at how many personal things can be crammed in there - dressers, a small TV, books, beds, personal effects.  There is a window at the back and a door at the front and that is the only ventilation - no air conditioning to be found!  It's hot in those rooms in the summer.  The bathrooms, for those who can get to them, are in a separate building. 

But, even in conditions both personal and physical that would seem like unbearable hardship to us here in wealthy North Jersey - you can find people CHOOSING to praise God. 

I know if I took a poll of the kids who went on that last trip and asked which of the residents had the biggest impact on them, I'm convinced that without a doubt, most would say Miss Moxie.  When we entered her room, the first thing we noticed was the strong smell of urine, yet Miss Moxie was dressed in clean clothes and smelled of baby powder.  This diminutive, skeletally slender, obviously sick 45 year old woman, her head wrapped in a bandana, oozed praise to Jesus with whom she obviously had a very personal relationship. 

She was delighted to see us, welcoming us in to her cramped quarters, inviting us to sit on her bed and visit.  She quoted Bible passages and sang praises to the Lord with her arms raised in the air and joy radiating from her face.  Visiting her, though it evoked tears of anguish and sadness for many, left us SO incredibly blessed!  And we thought WE were there to bless HER!  Ha!

How is it that we Christians here experience so little joy and gratitude to the Lord when we have so much?  How is it that we aren't always singing praises to the God who has blessed us so mightily?  Because praise is a choice we neglect to make.  We are so much more likely to complain about insignificant inconveniences, to our shame.

How could Miss Moxie have such joy in the face of such adversity?  Her children did not visit, the disease that ravaged her body kept others away as well, she enjoyed very few creature comforts - yet she CHOSE to praise God.  Why????  Because Miss Moxie's happiness didn't depend on her circumstances, it rested solely in a Person - the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was her constant companion. I'm convinced that Miss Moxie praised God whether or not there was anyone there to hear her!

You and I don't get out of this life scott free, even when we are believers in Jesus.  Adversity affects us as it does everyone else because we live in a world that is under the curse of sin and nothing is untouched by it.  Sometimes all we can do is decide how we'll react to it.  We can let adversity make us bitter and angry at God, or we can CHOOSE to praise Him no matter what, like Miss Moxie, like King David.

Today probably the worst thing I'm going to have to deal with is feeling tired, the soreness of an arthritic finger joint, and deciding what to make for dinner.  Really, how can I NOT chose to praise the great God of the Universe who calls me His own by virtue of the Person and work of His Son Jesus. 

When I spiritually "grow up", which I hope will be VERY soon, I want to be just like Miss Moxie and bless the socks off God and those who know me by choosing to praise Him, ALWAYS, but especially when adversity hits.