Days Like This

Days like this - when you haven't slept much, and work has been busy and demanding, and kids have been misbehaving and lying, and you have a migraine and your husband has work to do and you have clothes to wash and dinner to cook and children to teach, hug, kiss and tuck in - days like this can feel like the weight of the world on your shoulders.

Or, they can feel like life. Like being alive.

Every joy, every disappointment, every setback (yes, even the setbacks) are evidence of God's sovereignty and an invitation to rest in Him. To trust in His plan, His timeline, His goodness.

Today we were dealt some not-so-great, but not the end-of-the-world news about our timeline for closing on the house, and about some money we were counting on to come in just in time to replenish our savings account after all is said and done. If you're anything like me, your initial reaction in situations like this is annoyance or anger (at the situation and, sometimes, at God), and then frustration (and sometimes tears), and then acceptance (or if I'm really being honest, feigned indifference).

But something new happened today. I didn't feel any of those things. I didn't feel scared or anxious that we weren't going to close this week. I did feel bothered by the fact that the delay might have been avoided, but what's done is done. I could tell that Rocky was frustrated and if I've learned one thing about being a team in marriage, I've learned that we can't both be upset at the same time in situations like this. No, one of us has to be an encourager, a reminder that everything will be ok. I'm sad to say that more often than not Rocky is that person since I lean so easily towards negativity, but today, I actually felt okay about these hiccups.

There are two very real reasons why this might be the case. First, pure exhaustion, and acceptance that I have little to no control over any of these things. While that is completely true, I don't think that's what resulted in the peace I feel. The real reason, I think, that these things (two biggies in one day!) didn't cause me to derail is because I've been spending more time with God. I've been praying for things, big things...and do you want to know something that is mind-blowing? He's answering! He's answering our prayers.

See, what I didn't tell you is that two (no, three) VERY big prayers have been answered in the last month. Prayers that took a lot of courage for me to pray. Prayers that have repercussions and rewards. I am asking God, seeking God, relying on God, spending time with God in ways I haven't in a long time and He's showing up. He's making Himself known. He's revealing the ways He's working in our lives and in the lives of our kids and our families and our friends.

He's rocking our world.

So delays? Setbacks? Hiccups?

They've got nothin' on our God.

He is greater. He is stronger. He is enough.

Everything else, well, that's just cake.