Are you getting the message?

Yesterday I was overwhelmed. The thought of catching up from snow days, projects that are due (for me!), a house that needs some serious work, endless cooking and cleaning, bills to figure out, phone calls to make, three (yes, I've lost my mind!) Bible studies that need to be worked on, and somehow getting in a 4 mile walk when the treadmill isn't working and it's icy outside.

I'm learning that when I start getting that "drowning" feeling, I need to start looking for the small blessings around me. They are His messages of love! I even ask Him. "Show me Your love."

I don't think that anything happens without a reason. I trust the Lord to either resolve a situation, or give me the grace to glorify Him in it. Sometimes, He chooses to resolve it!

And you know what? I got the message!

First of all, the Coach and Daughter #2 left for the high school basketball games before dinner. I was already so tired and not really wanting to do dinner and bedtime without help! But you know what? We invited Grandmother and Granddad to come eat - which they did. And the most wonderful thing of all? Son #1 kept things on track - helped with the little ones - and my other big boys helped clean up - everyone did their jobs - it was a good evening!

Secondly, we had looked for Son #4's school library book for TWO days. While Grandmother was here, she offered to help (I had already spent a LOT of time looking!) and found it behind his bedroom door! Odd place for a book to be, but one place we HAD NOT looked! Yeah! I had prayed with Son #4, telling him that the Lord knew where that book was, even if we didn't. Sometimes He helps us find things, sometimes He gives us the grace to go on without finding them - and this time? A found book.

Then, right before the Coach left, the fitness equipment place called about fixing our treadmill. It's been hard enough to get my miles in WITH a treadmill right here. But about three weeks ago it quit working! I've been going (as often as I could) to my parents to walk. Well, while talking to the guy at the fitness place, the Coach got it to work, again! After the girls were in bed, I walked my four miles with SUCH JOY!

Before I got on the treadmill, I came in to get my I-pod. Couldn't find it. I knew I had SEEN it in the last day or two, but I hadn't USED it since our treadmill went out. Several weeks. Looked and looked (feeling frustrated at this point because I'd spend so much of my day LOOKING for things!) and it just wasn't there! Finally, Son #1 brought his in and offered it for my walk. So I used his. Then when the Coach got home, later, and sat down to work on the computer, he found mine under the keyboard! Under the keyboard? Weird. But there it was!

Do you see what I mean? I know none of these things are a big deal. I know circumstances aren't where we find our joy! There are still lots of things to face for today. Things sometimes turn out to be horribly difficult, instead of resolved. But if you start to notice the little blessings in your day, you will have a different perspective. Not that things all turn out perfectly - but that in the small things, you can find the blessing there. You can see His hand - caring for you. Showing you that He loves you.

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." Eph 3:17-19

That is precious to me! Oh that I would comprehend the breath, length, depth and height of the love of Christ!

He loves you - are you getting the message?