TOSSING AND TURNING
The Lord will accomplish what concerns me… Psalm 138:8
I worried as I tossed and turned all last night.
A running dialogue of what if’s and must-do’s galloped behind my closed eyelids, robbing me of rest and leaving my bed a rumpled mash of misbegotten bed sheets.
It was a relief to wake up!
Rolling out of that wrestling ring of worry, I reached for two ibuprofen to ease the aches and pains my buffeted body bore, padded down to the kitchen to make my morning tea, lit a candle or two to chase away the sodden gloom~ and drank in the healing Words of God.
Comfort…
Assurance…
Control. (His, not mine!)
Soon my weariness lifted as I poured out my petty worries to God. Like a child, I showed Him my “owies”. Nothing earth shattering or even heart breaking. Just daily stuff, and my usual- “How will I get it all done?” My self-imposed standards of perfection chasing joy and peace right out of my day. He reminded me, with the patience that makes me love Him all the more, of a few lessons already taught, if not yet fully learned. I’ll pass some of those on to you, in case you’re popping a few aspirins of your own…
- Don’t cram too much into one day. Specifically, don’t crowd too many different categories of tasks into one day. Looking back at His plan for creating the World (a bit bigger than my burdens today!), in Genesis chapter one, each day took on a logical, well thought through order. First, light, then the skies, then land on which to grow food, then seasons…you see the idea? He had a plan. My frantic hurrying from thing to thing leaves me exhausted, discombobulated (I love that word!), dingy, and out-of-sorts. No wonder my head aches!
- Acknowledge what you have done. Again, in Genesis one, at the end of each and every day He looked back over His accomplishments and relished the completed creativity of His work. A simple notebook will do the job. Set it beside your bed and take a few minutes each night to list the things you did accomplish that day. Come on, write it down! You’ll be surprised how much you did on a day when you “didn’t get anything done”.
- Remember who is in control. (hint, hint: not you!) If only I could get this one through my thick head! I am not in charge. I have abandoned my life to God and told Him in all sincerity that I want Him to control everything, everyone, every circumstance, every detail of my life. But He’s not so neat and tidy. He does things differently than I do. And He doesn’t usually tell me why! (read Psalm 138:8)
- He has a plan and purpose for me. This is one of the most exhilarating, energizing truths to ever grip me. The fact that He has specific tasks for me to accomplish, assigned tasks just for me…wow! I read once that giving your kids chores to do around the house enhances their self-esteem. So I did. Lots of chores. They were the most self-esteemed kids on the block. And now I have a chore list from the Father…because He thinks I’m the one to do it. Every time I think about that, I sit up a little straighter, clear my desk, and get to work. (read Ephesians 2:10)
…and moms, remember that your tasks have names…
From my heart,
Diane