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Encouragement for discouraging days
#1 · August 29, 2002, 8:18 pm
Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>
Dear Hope Chest friends,
I don't know about you, but I've had one of "those" days -- the exasperating kind when I got overwhelmed by a combination of morning sickness, messy house, too much noise, bickering siblings, etc. I wasn't exactly the model of a mild-mannered Mama, either, which is probably what got me down the most. What an encouragement to read a transcript of a Family Life Today radio show on which Mike and Vickie Farris were guests talking about a REAL day in their home school. Hint: It involves door slamming and a shocking threat... Here's the link!
By the way, a lot of people have said that my morning sickness should be over about now, since I am nearly 15 weeks along. However, in my last pregnancy, it started in the second trimester and lasted quite a while, so I'm not out of the woods yet. In my fight against pregnancy nausea, I found that York peppermint patties helped quite a bit. But I was feeling guilty about all those extra calories, so I switched to peppermint Lifesavers. Then I read Shonda Parker's great book, Naturally Healthy Pregnancy, and decided to "go herbal." I was in a health food store buying organic bread flour yesterday, so I trotted over the the prenatal aisle to buy some ginger. I came out with something called Ginger Trips -- chewable ginger tablets. So when I got sick this morning, I triumphantly decided to prevent a further attack. Unfortunately, when I opened the bottle and took a whiff, I instantly... Well, we won't go there. Let's just say I'm back to the Lifesavers. I was on the couch almost all day, and haven't had much energy for anything lately, even though life continues in a whirlwind around me. (Just this week, there have been five different educational/social outings, six dentist appointments, an unexpected doctor visit, trips to the shoe store / health food store / pharmacy, and the usual midweek milk-and-bread trips. That's life with 8 children!)
As a family, we are also going through several transitions, which are blessings but still stressful at times. Please continue to pray for us! There's not much anyone else can do in a practical sense, but your prayers will help immensely.
If you are going through a tough time, and can't seem to see through the fog, please be encouraged that God is still there caring for you. It may look bleak right now, but it's not always going to be this way. Sometimes, even just a good night's sleep can make all the difference. Most of all, this is a time to lean hard on God's mercy, and seek his face all the more. My dear husband shared these verses with me the other day when I was at wit's end and exhausted:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
Dear ones (Mary says I sound like Kay Arthur with that phrase), God does not want our calling as home school moms to be burdensome! The picture just popped into my head of two oxen yoked side by side pulling a load. I started thinking about how if we take his yoke upon us, Jesus himself will be linked side by side with us, and I know he does more than his share of the pulling!
Blessings,
Virginia Knowles
P.S. The September issue on Life Skills will be out soon!