Turn it around

God works in such wonderful ways! The Holy Spirit first inspired me, alone in my car, while waiting for a traffic light to change. It had been about three weeks since the tragedy of Sept. 11, and I found myself staring at another sign that read "God Bless America." How often had I seen these words in the past weeks? This was when it first occurred to me that maybe if we switched the words, it would help us to keep our focus balanced and in proper perspective. The idea was interesting, but I put it in the back of my mind as the light changed to green and I proceeded on with the hectic demands of the day.

A week later, I was half-listening to Joyce Meyer on television and I heard her quote from Psalm 103, verse 22, "Let everything, everywhere bless the Lord." That morning, as I heard these words of David written thousands of years ago, I knew they were almost identical to the words "America Bless God." I knew this was a message I had to share with others.

In the weeks and months that followed, I received overwhelming support and encouragement from my church family, friends, co-workers, and my own family. Together with prayer and many revisions, I put my thoughts into writing, and many wonderful things happened. Our church sign displayed the message "America Bless God" for all to see as they drove by. Our children's director designed a bulletin board in the church lobby using phrases from worship hymns to share the message. I approached other churches and local businesses, and many of them changed their signs. A local Christian radio station read the message on their morning broadcast and afterwards, the taped message was transmitted all over the world by short-wave radio. I also shared the message (and fresh baked muffins) with my co-workers.

Every time I think the "season" of this message is fading to a close, something happens to re-inspire me to continue on. It is awesome when I can see the Spirit of God at work in our community and in our country. There are so many people who have written or spoken about this same message.

Each day in my own life, I strive to remember to bless God. Even though there are so many ways to be a blessing to Him, admittedly I often forget. I thank God many times for the wonderful love I've received from my family, friends, and especially the members of my church family. What a blessing!

For the future, I am considering hosting my own Web site and maybe raising funds for a billboard message. I may even work at uniting all the "America Bless God" messages and stories out there. If you have a story or a picture to share, or would like more information, you can e-mail me at Thompsonbette@hotmail.com, or mail me at First United Methodist Church, 201 E. Third St., Mishawaka, Ind. 46544.