Battling a Tough Week

We recently had a tough week. It might have really been more that I had a tough week, but some of it involved my children and husband - so I think we've all come through a tough week.

It all started last Sunday (3/25/12). I received an e-mail that my dad's cousin has a brain tumor that has grown and radiation was ordered to start ASAP. Also, I'd been asked to consider taking over the lead with a ministry at church and had a meeting with a church staff member the next week. Then, there was the family wedding coming up the next weekend and some stress some other family members were having regarding the preparations, etc. I sent out my prayer requests to some friends and one e-mailed back that it looked like I was going to have a tough week and that she was praying for me. I hadn't even thought about the week being overly tough, but I determined right then that I was going to do my best not to feel overwhelmed or get down on myself during the week. I was not going to let Satan's lies get to me. He wasn't going to steal my joy this time!

Monday, the kids had an Easter egg hunt and party at church. At the end of the time, I checked my phone and found out that one of my grandfathers was in the hospital because he had a heart attack that morning. During the week, on Wednesday, the kids got sick. I think Daughter just had allergies, but Son ended up with pretty serious bronchitis - serious enough that the doctor was considering chest x-rays and a hospital stay over the weekend. Praise God that neither of those things had to happen. He and I did have to miss the family wedding, though, and we were running on poor sleep from him waking up throughout the night. Also during the week, we found about a family member of a friend and the friend of a family member, both of whom are having major complications with their pregnancies. That seemed to hit me hard as major prayer needs. With all that was going on and how tired I was, I did not feel like I was getting many things on my "to-do" list done. I tend to be a "Martha" type of person in the whole Mary-Martha way of seeing things, so this had great potential to bother me. Along with that and a messy house, my quiet times slipped away. I couldn't seem to beat Son awake early enough to do them and managed to find plenty of other things to occupy my time during the days that I didn't get to it. Add on that I was tired and needed my sleep also.

I admit that all this did get to me some, but it did not steal my joy. I managed to not get overly discouraged. Things that helped:

• Remembering Philippians 2:14-15, which says "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe."
• Songs called to mind, like "The Joy of the Lord is My Strength" and "Give Me Jesus." (I felt like I had songs to encourage me and lead me to continue worshiping God playing through my mind all week.)
•  A message from Anne Graham Lotz that my husband's mother sent to me via e-mail in April 2010. It has meant a lot to me ever since and I'm going to share it here. This is from Anne's e-mail devotionals "The Joy of My Heart" (April 30, 2010):

 Jesus Revealed in Us

Those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves 

to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1 Peter 4:19 NIV

If our kids always behave

and our boss is always pleased

and our home is always orderly

and our bodies always feel good

and we are patient and kind and thoughtful and happy and loving,

others shrug because they are capable of being that way too.

On the other hand,

if we have a splitting headache,

the kids are screaming,

the phone is ringing,

the supper is burning,

yet we are still patient, kind, thoughtful, happy, and loving,

the world sits up and takes notice.

The world knows that kind of behavior is not natural.

It's supernatural.

And others see Jesus revealed in us.

I sure want to be like that! There are days when I do well with it, but, of course, then there are those where I really do poorly. It's motivation for me, though.

You know, we made it through the tough week. We are physically on the mend and getting better sleep again. I am getting back into my Bible studies and verses. I've gotten to exercise again this week (another thing not happening last week). My grandfather is still doing okay. We didn't get to visit him because of our illnesses, but my father kept us updated. I don't have a current update on my dad's cousin, but that will be a longer process. The family member of a friend with pregnancy issues is doing better. The friend of a family member with pregnancy issues is supposed to be delivering her baby by c-section today. Continued prayers are needed for their family, though. My leadership for the church ministry started this week and is going well so far. We have seen prayers answered and I did not lose my joy. Praise God!

I'm praying that you find strength and perseverance when you go through a tough week! Continue to search for God's blessings and find ways to praise Him in the midst of your storms.

I just realized as I typed that last part that our Sunday School class was sharing daily blessings in our lives with each other throughout the tough week. Hmm, I don't think Satan liked that too much! :-)

Blessings to you all!