I say, Yes.
But, I don't always live like I believe that is true.
When a kid is up all night coughing; or I keep picking up piles of used tissue everywhere? Or, cleaning up puke? (Third child in, I am just tossing everything that gets puked on.) But, I expect to be 'Nurse Mommy' and I even embrace the extra snuggles that come with that job. What is really tough for me, are my sick days. Not just a tummy bug that comes and goes- it has been my chronic issues of back pain and migraines. They attack me on days when I have a list of things to do and knock me down so that every movement, every noise and every shift in light makes me feel more dizzy and more sick. I want to hide under the covers, but my little "boss" man won't let me. I know many people have harder 'loads' to carry- but this has been mine to carry and it has been tough to see any good in it.
I laid there thinking about a story from one of my favorite books, The Hiding Place. Corrie and her sister, Betsie, have been ripped from their family, stipped of their possessions (except a Bible they snuck in), and forced to work in a concentration camp during WW11. One morning Betsie encourages her sister to be thankful in all circumstances- even for the fleas in their dorms. Corrie says, 'No, way!'...but then relents and decides to praise God for the little critters anyway. (Remember, they are behind high wired walls, guarded by Nazis armed with hate and guns-- and they are still praising God for all they can think of, including the fleas!) Well, the story goes that some time later, after many nights of being able to preach, sing hymns and encourage their 'cellmates' that they learn that they they had been free to do so because their guards were unwilling to come into the dorms and supervise there because of the fleas!
Ok, so I strive to make gratitude lists every day. I wake up saying them, write them on scraps of paper, and list them aloud in the shower...but, sometimes it doesn't reach all the way from my head to my heart. I list these beautiful things, then go back to feeling sorry for myself. I thank God for the things that are easy to see, but refuse to be thankful for difficulties. The good news is- He is so patient- with ME! I feel guilty, when I step back and see the big picture and the trials that so many are facing around the world today. He doesn't want me to feel that way, yet, He is committed to maturing me and I know I need to be honest about how I feel and how hard this process has been for me.
I think the beauty in our trials and sick days comes when we can still see His goodness and trust Him in the midst of our trials. When authentic worship wells up from the heart- as I imagine it did when Paul was imprisoned and still sang. Today, I was able to rest, able to ice my back, take modern (and expensive) medicine- that most of the world probably does not have access to. But, mostly, there is beauty in the freedom to stay home snuggled next to this sweet face. Some days this little man sucks all the life out of me, but today he was a joy and comfort. So thankful.
But, I don't always live like I believe that is true.
When a kid is up all night coughing; or I keep picking up piles of used tissue everywhere? Or, cleaning up puke? (Third child in, I am just tossing everything that gets puked on.) But, I expect to be 'Nurse Mommy' and I even embrace the extra snuggles that come with that job. What is really tough for me, are my sick days. Not just a tummy bug that comes and goes- it has been my chronic issues of back pain and migraines. They attack me on days when I have a list of things to do and knock me down so that every movement, every noise and every shift in light makes me feel more dizzy and more sick. I want to hide under the covers, but my little "boss" man won't let me. I know many people have harder 'loads' to carry- but this has been mine to carry and it has been tough to see any good in it.
I laid there thinking about a story from one of my favorite books, The Hiding Place. Corrie and her sister, Betsie, have been ripped from their family, stipped of their possessions (except a Bible they snuck in), and forced to work in a concentration camp during WW11. One morning Betsie encourages her sister to be thankful in all circumstances- even for the fleas in their dorms. Corrie says, 'No, way!'...but then relents and decides to praise God for the little critters anyway. (Remember, they are behind high wired walls, guarded by Nazis armed with hate and guns-- and they are still praising God for all they can think of, including the fleas!) Well, the story goes that some time later, after many nights of being able to preach, sing hymns and encourage their 'cellmates' that they learn that they they had been free to do so because their guards were unwilling to come into the dorms and supervise there because of the fleas!
Ok, so I strive to make gratitude lists every day. I wake up saying them, write them on scraps of paper, and list them aloud in the shower...but, sometimes it doesn't reach all the way from my head to my heart. I list these beautiful things, then go back to feeling sorry for myself. I thank God for the things that are easy to see, but refuse to be thankful for difficulties. The good news is- He is so patient- with ME! I feel guilty, when I step back and see the big picture and the trials that so many are facing around the world today. He doesn't want me to feel that way, yet, He is committed to maturing me and I know I need to be honest about how I feel and how hard this process has been for me.
I think the beauty in our trials and sick days comes when we can still see His goodness and trust Him in the midst of our trials. When authentic worship wells up from the heart- as I imagine it did when Paul was imprisoned and still sang. Today, I was able to rest, able to ice my back, take modern (and expensive) medicine- that most of the world probably does not have access to. But, mostly, there is beauty in the freedom to stay home snuggled next to this sweet face. Some days this little man sucks all the life out of me, but today he was a joy and comfort. So thankful.