God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform.
He plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm.
William Cowper
October seems like a long time ago.
But I remember sitting with two lovely friends on a Sunday afternoon.
One was an old friend and the other new, and we were talking about our lives.
Both of them shared trials they were going through and I remember saying,
"I feel like our family is living the calm before the storm".
Yeah well....
The storm is here. It arrived and I knew it because I was waiting for it.
I hope it is a tornado and will blow through and make a mess and be over quickly.
But I think it may be a hurricane. If it is, it will make a mess, then the 'eye' of the storm will pass over and all will be calm for a very short time, then before it will be over, we will have to make it through the other side of the storm.
Whatever it is it is not pleasant.
It is hard to keep my spirits up all the time during this storm. But I try to 'do the next thing'. If I start to think about what the future holds, or doesn't hold, I get anxious and I worry. I know I shouldn't and that worrying about something doesn't change it or make it happen. Sometimes I just get depressed and sometimes I just get tired.
And sometimes I don't feel like doing anything--much less the next thing.
Life is just hard sometimes.
We have so much to do to get our house ready to put on the market--probably going to have to put it up for sale before I do all that I would like to. Anna is working on things for her graduation without much help from me. We are going to Virginia for spring break and have a list of things to get done while we are there. Tracy is applying for jobs and constantly working on his resume.
I have been cleaning, sorting, donating and tossing for weeks. We had boxes of things we have moved around for years that needed to be sorted through and stuff that we just needed to get rid of. We have gone through our bookshelves twice in the last month to clear off the shelves and decide on what to keep and what to give away. Goodwill has to love our family by now.
And there is still more to go.
We aren't involved in the wedding planning that much so that is a relief. We do have to get something to wear though and Anna still needs a special dress for her graduation. There is just so much to do and some drama that we could do without.
Life is just hard sometimes.
But I can find joy in so much of the stress. I am thankful that I am walking through this with a man who is strong and positive. My sweet husband is so motivated about getting a new job and so excited to be 'finally' retiring. He is relieved that he won't have to deploy again and that we won't have to move unless we want to. He is also excited that he can get a tractor, eventually.
My daughters are so excited to be moving near family and constantly talk about the chickens we are going to have and the pig and goats they want. Umm...we shall see.
My sons are busy with their lives and living responsibly and going to church and loving the Lord and making us proud.
I know our children are watching us as we weather this storm and I pray that we can be wise and strong and faithful.
Mostly I find joy in the fact that God is in the boat with us. He can calm this storm if He thinks that is best.
Our life has been marked by storms like the one we are in, but the best part of walking with the Lord is looking back and seeing where we have been.
He is faithful, there is always an end to the storm, it is over eventually.
Then we clean up the mess it made.
And occasionally, after a storm, some things are damaged beyond repair and we have to decide if we should rebuild or replant or just toss it out. Nothing in life stands still unless it is dead and sometimes storms come to keep us from growing stagnant, to force us to do things we need to but have neglected.
So, I give thanks for this storm, even though I want to hide under the covers and stay in bed.
But I remember sitting with two lovely friends on a Sunday afternoon.
One was an old friend and the other new, and we were talking about our lives.
Both of them shared trials they were going through and I remember saying,
"I feel like our family is living the calm before the storm".
Yeah well....
The storm is here. It arrived and I knew it because I was waiting for it.
I hope it is a tornado and will blow through and make a mess and be over quickly.
But I think it may be a hurricane. If it is, it will make a mess, then the 'eye' of the storm will pass over and all will be calm for a very short time, then before it will be over, we will have to make it through the other side of the storm.
Whatever it is it is not pleasant.
It is hard to keep my spirits up all the time during this storm. But I try to 'do the next thing'. If I start to think about what the future holds, or doesn't hold, I get anxious and I worry. I know I shouldn't and that worrying about something doesn't change it or make it happen. Sometimes I just get depressed and sometimes I just get tired.
And sometimes I don't feel like doing anything--much less the next thing.
Life is just hard sometimes.
We have so much to do to get our house ready to put on the market--probably going to have to put it up for sale before I do all that I would like to. Anna is working on things for her graduation without much help from me. We are going to Virginia for spring break and have a list of things to get done while we are there. Tracy is applying for jobs and constantly working on his resume.
I have been cleaning, sorting, donating and tossing for weeks. We had boxes of things we have moved around for years that needed to be sorted through and stuff that we just needed to get rid of. We have gone through our bookshelves twice in the last month to clear off the shelves and decide on what to keep and what to give away. Goodwill has to love our family by now.
And there is still more to go.
We aren't involved in the wedding planning that much so that is a relief. We do have to get something to wear though and Anna still needs a special dress for her graduation. There is just so much to do and some drama that we could do without.
Life is just hard sometimes.
But I can find joy in so much of the stress. I am thankful that I am walking through this with a man who is strong and positive. My sweet husband is so motivated about getting a new job and so excited to be 'finally' retiring. He is relieved that he won't have to deploy again and that we won't have to move unless we want to. He is also excited that he can get a tractor, eventually.
My daughters are so excited to be moving near family and constantly talk about the chickens we are going to have and the pig and goats they want. Umm...we shall see.
My sons are busy with their lives and living responsibly and going to church and loving the Lord and making us proud.
I know our children are watching us as we weather this storm and I pray that we can be wise and strong and faithful.
Mostly I find joy in the fact that God is in the boat with us. He can calm this storm if He thinks that is best.
Our life has been marked by storms like the one we are in, but the best part of walking with the Lord is looking back and seeing where we have been.
He is faithful, there is always an end to the storm, it is over eventually.
Then we clean up the mess it made.
And occasionally, after a storm, some things are damaged beyond repair and we have to decide if we should rebuild or replant or just toss it out. Nothing in life stands still unless it is dead and sometimes storms come to keep us from growing stagnant, to force us to do things we need to but have neglected.
So, I give thanks for this storm, even though I want to hide under the covers and stay in bed.
'And I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands. For You are who You are no matter where I am. and every tear I've cried You hold in your hand. You never left my side and though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm'
From Praise You in this Storm by Casting Crowns
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