Dominique Speaks: Grace in Difficulty

Monday, July 11, 2016

Grace in Difficulty

Blossom4 was just coming off being sick. She was demonstrating what most moms will recognize and what I have dubbed "post-sickness attitudes."

I've never been sure exactly why these attitudes evidence. Perhaps after being coddled for days, it's back to life as usual and this is something of a letdown.

Perhaps they feel better enough to be up and around, but still not normal enough to be their normal happy-go-lucky selves.

I don't know.

But that day was epic in her defiance and disobedience. #idontexaggerate

I was chatting with the Rugged Mountain Man a minute and he thought a bomb went off here.

That's how crazy it sounded in the usually quiet Hollow.

By the end of the day, I was beyond exhausted. Discouraged. Stressed. Overwhelmed. Crying.

Though my goal for the day had been to remember 1 Timothy 1:5 (NASB),

"But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith,"

this mama felt like it was World War III between Blossom4 and me.

The Rugged Mountain Man let me cry and hugged me close. And I went to bed. #bedtimeiswiseformamas

This morning, I felt like I ought to count my blessings, literally listing them in my journal.

It helps my priorities when I count my blessings. The issues and problems slide back in their proper place.

Little problems and big problems alike adjust all in the light of eternity. Everything shifts.

I wrote, "I am thankful that I have the Holy Spirit to grace me in all the difficult things I must do today."

This defiance from the little treasure God gave us is something we won't sweep under the carpet.

It's important enough to take my to-do list, cut it in half, just so I can be available to calmly deal with her and whatever's going on inside her heart and mind.