Big girl sings along, but baby girl usually just watches us with a very serious look on her face, like she is above singing children's songs. Above singing any songs. Above learning anything by rote. Above learning anything new. In short, she just doesn't seem eager to learn, so I wonder if she's learning anything at all. But then I get these glimpses of intellect that amaze me and I realize she is a little sponge. She may not be trying to learn anything new, but her mind is absorbing the watery world around her because she is immersed in it and that is what sponges do.
So, today I took a nap with the girls. We all slept for two hours. The girls woke up first and came to my room to ask me when I was getting up. I said, "In a minute," then I woke with a start. Yes, in that order. I thought it was morning and I had over-slept and I looked over in the bed to find that my man was already gone! Impossible! I would have heard him. Heart beats slowed: it's not morning. But then, OH! It's afternoon! And how long did I sleep? How late in the afternoon?! Grabbed the phone. 4 o'clock. We went down at 2. Okay. It's not as bad as I thought. Have they been up long? No, they just got up, they said. Okay, I've not been an awful, negligent mommy.
But waking up in this whirlwind of adrenaline exhausted me. I laid the phone down and relaxed back on the pillow for a minute. I told the girls to potty in order to buy myself a few minutes to let my heart resume its normal pace.
And then Satan began. Why doesn't he give me ten minutes of peace before he starts his attacks? The guilty thoughts started, popping up in rapid succession. No, not succession. Popping up before the previous one had a chance to sit down...
I shouldn't have taken a nap...now what I am I going to fix for supper...I don't have anything that cooks quickly...the house is a mess...I should have done laundry...I have all those flowers to plant...why am I always so tired...the joy of the Lord is my strength...but I'm legitimately tired...I haven't had quiet time today...ugh...I should have gotten up earlier this morning to have my quiet time...at least then I could justify a nap...my man would probably like a nap...I hope he doesn't walk in right now and find me in bed at 4 o'clock...I've gotta get up...I need quiet time...I need to have an attitude of gratitude...I need counseling...
...would you all just SIT DOWN!!!!!!!
I started praying. And, as I started praying, I realized, once again, that Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor. As He was working me through my guilt list, I heard baby girl "reading" books in the hallway. Even with her complete lack of interest in any organized learning activities, she still has an excellent imagination. She will sit down with books and make up pretty amazing stories.
I knew from the bits and pieces I was hearing she was looking at a butterfly book that had been laying in the hallway all day, along with various other articles. Then I heard, "The butterfly flaps its wings and gives God the glory, glory, glory. Rise and Shine..."
And I was grateful. Grateful that something good had been absorbed by her spongy little brain. Grateful for God's reassurance that something good had come from me. Grateful to God for using baby girl to unwittingly remind me to rise and shine and give God the glory. And I rose. Those thoughts sat down and I stood up.
Me. Standing. That is nothing short of a miracle. In this overwhelming situation we find ourselves in, called life, we stand. And every time we do, we are to give God the glory for getting us on our feet and holding us upright. Apart from Him we can do nothing. But THROUGH Him we can do all things! And we stand.
And I was reminded of Beth Moore's blog I had just read earlier today...
I pray you are standing strong with the Shield of Faith in one hand and the Sword of the Spirit in the other. Isaiah 7:9b (NIV) has been on my radar often lately:
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.
you will not stand at all.
Then, Romans 14:4 right on top of it: To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Amen to that.
And this phrase out of Ephesians 6:13 – STAND YOUR GROUND.
Keeping our faith in the driver’s seat of our faithfulness, Christ’s own Spirit breathing through us, we CAN do this in His great Name. May He make Himself so obvious to us today. Then may He make Himself so obvious to someone else through us today.
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Find the complete blog post at http://blog.lproof.org/2012/09/lpl-simulcast-recap-prayer-commissioning.html.
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