In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me. ~Psalm 120:1
I've been quiet the past few weeks as far as the blog goes. Not
because I don't have anything to say...a million thoughts a day go through my
mind and I'm always up for a good conversation. Things have been busy and we've
traveled more this month than we have in 2 years so I just haven't had any time
to sit down and actually get anything written. Plus there is that issue of
feeling so overwhelmed that any thoughts I have I can't articulate in a way
that makes sense. Been there? I'm sure you have. Those times when your heart has
so much to say, is bearing so much, but the words don't seem adequate to
I've said it before and I will say it again, raising kids does not
get easier as they get older. We have so much on our plates right now in
regards to the kids that some days it's hard to breath. I want so badly to be
the best mom. I want so badly to find the solution and see victory in some of
the areas that are a struggle but it seems God has chosen to allow these things
to continue. I know I have a lot to be thankful for and I don't mean to come
across as complaining. It's just when each of your 7 children is struggling
with one or more things, all of it combined is so overwhelming. It's hard to
wait on God for some of these things. Most of what is going on is individual. It’s
the heart of that child and I can point them to Gods word, I can give
reminders, I can correct behaviors but at the end of the day the real change
will only happen as the child submits their will to the Father and allows Him
to change their heart.
Man that's hard! It's hard to wait on God to do that. For someone
with my personality, who wants to find solutions to problems, it is easy to do
it all in my own strength and get impatient waiting on God. I'll be honest;
there have been a couple break downs over the past few months where I had to
cry out to God. It seemed like he wasn't hearing me and didn’t care. And then
as I was reading in Psalms I came across this verse: "In my distress I
cried unto the Lord, and he heard me". So simple yet just the reminder I
needed. God does care and he does hear me. What a blessing that verse was and
how many times I have come back to it the past few weeks.
The vacation I have been so busy this week preparing for has been
planned since last year. We've wanted to take a family vacation because it's
been 6 years since our last one. With the arrivals of Tess and Emma it made
traveling really challenging plus finding something that wouldn't break the
bank was tough too. Thankfully the Lord made it possible for us to find a
timeshare that was not only affordable but available during the kids Thanksgiving
vacation so they will only miss one day of school. It's also driving distance
(closer than our drives to Madawaska!) and it can sleep all of us and has a
full kitchen so we don't have to eat out! I've been busy making all our meals
for next week so once we are there I won't have to cook at all and we can just
chill and hang out at the indoor pool. I believe the Lord knew what we would be
struggling with now last year and that is why he prompted us to look into a
family vacation when we did. It really couldn't come at a better time for us
and I think some quiet family time is exactly what our soul’s need. God is so
good to provide us with exactly what we need...even before we realize we need
it.
This Thanksgiving I am thankful for my amazing family. God has
richly blessed Ben and me and despite the demanding needs of our family I am
still able to see God's goodness in all of it and thank him for it. In our
weakness we are made perfect and I have certainly been seeing how weak I am and
how desperately I need God. I am thankful He is there to cry out to when I can
no longer bear the task at hand. And I am thankful He is there waiting to pick
me up and give me what I need to continue on.
I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and I pray God
blesses your time with each other. If you are feeling overwhelmed and can
relate to what I have shared then my encouragement to you is to look to the
only one who can offer you what you need. He is there and He is ready to help
you and give you exactly what you need. God does hear us when we cry out to Him!
