There are times when I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go, recharged and facing the new day with energy and ambition. And then there are the other 364 days of the year! I love my family; I love my teaching job; I love my church and each service we get to attend; but sometimes I feel so overwhelmed with my duties, my responsibilities, my obligations, and my workload that I just want to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over my head. And, frankly, I don't have as much to do as a lot of people. My husband works his tail off, driving a gravel truck for miles upon miles each day, having his bones constantly jarred from the rough roads and inevitable vibrations emanating from his truck that would probably register at least a 5.5 on the Richter scale. This is overtime season for his line of work, so he's working long hours, six days a week. When he finally gets home, he's met with a houseful of less-than-docile children who each have their own demands and a wife holding a two-mile-long list of items to be looked at around the house. (Hmmm........no wonder he goes to be early! LOL) I know there are many people whose jobs are more demanding than mine and who work longer hours than I do. I'm just saying: if I get tired and worn thin (I wish!) from what I have to do each day, you folks must be exhausted!!! God bless each of you in your daily lives, going to work to keep this great country running and bringing up your families to be good, honest, hard-working, God-fearing citizens. My hat's off to you! (I just have to decide which of the many hats I wear I will doff in your honor!)
We had a good week, filled with schoolwork and homework and shopping trips to restock our ever-emptying larder and church functions and all. Really, on the whole, our lives resemble nothing so much as a human hamster wheel---constantly running round and round, doing the same thing over and over again! The occasional stubbed toe or low/high grade on a test livens things up, but we really are boring people.
Our oldest three went to a youth activity Friday night. The whole teen group played games, had dinner around a campfire, and listened to testimonies and such by the leaders. Bro. Jon, our youth pastor, wanted the kids to have some fun but some revival, too. He showed them a video of what life would be like in thirty years if Christians didn't stand up for what we believe and allowed ourselves to be suppressed (no Bibles allowed anywhere, the words "under God" taken out of the Pledge of Allegiance, pastors and church members thrown in jail for witnessing, etc). The video then wound backwards and showed how each of the "future" events could be prevented by simply speaking out for Christ and living for God. I'm hoping this is a wake-up call for those teens who still think only adults need to live for Christ. I know Katie made a decision to be sure to read her Bible each day again; she had been doing this, but we all know how easy it is to miss a couple of days and then just stop. I'm glad she decided to make that promise to God again.
***Good News Alert***After the activity, Dale got bored sitting on the bleachers waiting for his sisters to finish taking down the volleyball net. When Ashley went in to tell them we were ready to pick them up, Dale stood up and began walking toward the door. He actually walked all the way from the bleachers to the door, outside onto the front sidewalk, across the parking lot, and around the back of the van to the side where he sits. He even opened the van door himself (this has been causing him fits lately) and climbed in---all without falling or faltering once! Someone was teasing him as he walked out (Bro. Jon or one of the guys); Dale just kept walking, waving his hand at them and saying, "I heard you the first time; I'm just ignoring you!" When they laughed and bid him good night, Dale responded, "Good night!" Usually, Dale cannot walk and talk at the same time......literally. Friday night, he did great, walking and talking and gesturing and opening the door. Praise the Lord for this wonderful display!
Please continue to pray for Dale' full healing. Personally, the thought is never far from my mind, but I don't necessarily put the prayer into words each day. There is still so much room for improvement, and I don't want God to be done yet! Also, pray for my husband as he works to provide for us. Despite assurances coming from Washington, D.C., the recession is far from over, and we are continuing to feel the effects. We are seeking God's will in the matter, asking Him to show us exactly what His plan is. I know we can trust Him to provide all things for us, but faith is generally easier to say than to practice.
Take some time to tell God you love Him, and have a great week! :-)
Proverbs 15: 32-33 "He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding. The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility."
Kirsten I love these family update blogs, they really put my own chaotic life in the proper perspective. It's now Sunday evening and I was just starting to plan the next crazy week, and after seeing what your husband goes through I no longer feel like it's only me lol. The recession is always on my mind, but, so is God. He has gotten us believers through so much and will continue to do so. He is so great and wonderful, I pray for those who have not embraced him. I do agree with you regarding faith, it can be a struggle sometimes to truly put our whole trust in God when things are not going the way that we would like them to, but great things rarely happen without a struggle. I was happy to see that Dale had a great week, it does my heart good to see his progress. It shows that our prayers for his good health and recovery are working. As always, you and your family are in my prayers, thank you again for this blog. All my best, Eric
ReplyDeleteyeah for the good news on Dale's longggg walk!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad that Dale is getting better. I tell his story in many of my CPR classes as an example of what science can do (mammalian diving reflex,timely CPR, etc).
ReplyDeleteI still don't get why you bother praying - for anything - though. If your "god" has a plan and it's all set out ahead of time, praying shouldn't change a thing, right? god's plan is god's plan. Asking for anything different should be seen as an affront to god more than anything.
You know, a lot of Christians feel the same way. They believe that God lays everything out the way He wants, and we have no say in the matter. I disagree. I firmly believe that God sets things in motion according to His plan but keeps His ear open to our prayers. You see, I believe my God is a personal God, interested in me as a person and not a robot, seeing the big picture and knowing what's best but still able to be touched by my heart's petition. He does have a plan for each one of us, but that plan is not set in stone. We have the ability, through our prayers, to change the heart of God and, sometimes, cause a different outcome. God hears our prayers and answers each one: sometimes "yes," sometimes "no," and sometimes "just wait." In Dale's case, Chad and I told God repeatedly that we would love Him and trust Him whether He allowed Dale to live or die. We asked God to change the expected outcome but did not demand He do so. When God answered our prayers---and Dale not only survived but is doing well---we gave Him the praise and thanks He deserved. Does that, at least, clarify our position? And I agree with you---the paramedics on scene, the water rescue personnel, the medical teams who worked so desperately to revive Dale and stabilize him are very much in our hearts for their efforts for our son. But we believe God put them there right where Dale needed them. It honestly might not make sense to you, but faith is sometimes an inexplicable thing. We choose to trust. Kirsten
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