Writing a Story

 It really is rare when I sit down to write and find myself staring at a blank screen.  But when it does happen, it is usually because my heart is completely overwhelmed.  This has been one of those weeks.  In 7 days time my health has been tested, my emotions have run an entire marathon, my workload changed to a completely different platform in a matter of hours, my stress level has been up and down and back again, AND to complicate matters, I spent 3 days completely covered in hives.

 

I won’t share the whole story today, because it isn’t over yet, and I make a point not to tell a story until the time is right.  But in the chapter that has been the last week here are a few things I have observed.

 

Life is better when you are surrounded by amazing people.  When you have friends who drive 7 hours to spend 3 with you.  When someone shows up with dinner that all I had to do was stick it in the oven.  When a friend texts you (having no idea what your week was like) to ask to keep your kids so you can have a date night.  When someone loves you enough to laugh about your child’s brutal honesty towards them even when you are horrifyingly embarrassed by it.  When people stand in the gap to pray when you don’t have any words.  When THOSE kind of people are your people, even hives aren’t quite as noticeable.

 

Redemption is a beautiful thing.  Some dates are forever burned in my memory.  Many of those memories are wonderful, but others are not.  In the past week we passed over one of those hard dates, BUT GOD… used that exact date to do an unexpected and wonderful thing and His voice whispered over my heart more than once “I am redeeming this.”

 

Sometimes you have to walk away. The stress level of teacher life this year is greater than anything I could have imagined.  And I can and I am doing hard things… but I also realized that sometimes I have to step away and let it wait for the next day.  At home there are three pretty awesome guys waiting for me to laugh with them, feed them, play on the floor with them, or help with their laundry.  They are worth setting the stress aside and saying “this will still be here when I come back tomorrow.”

Tree climbing and pony pampering are worth walking away from the stress for

 My story God is writing is not over yet.  There are still unknown parts that I am praying for the ability to trust Him with.  There are still chapters I don’t know the titles of.  But this chapter reminded me that He has His hands over it all.  He can redeem the story, provide for my needs, and He even took away the hives.

 

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” Psalms 49:19