Too Blessed for Stress

I’ve been feeling frustrated and stressed lately. There seems to be an endless list of things calling for my attention and I don’t make much headway in completing any of them. Right now, my kitchen is clean, but there’s laundry to do, and the entire kitchen table is loaded with junk to sort through. This spot has become the dumping ground for all the stuff I just don’t know what to do with, and it has been accumulating for several months. I have boxes and boxes of old photographs stacked all over the family room that I need to sneak back into my mother’s house - I “borrowed” them to make a tribute video for her birthday, which was yesterday, but the video isn’t finished yet either. Luckily, my sister is coming in town from Iowa next week so I have given myself a week’s grace period. Our refrigerator is on the fritz, so we currently have several coolers on the kitchen floor and countertop, trying to keep my Diet Coke cold, and the salmonella at bay. And at every turn, my 13 year old daughter whines that she’s bored and that there’s nothing to do and why don’t I ever buy any food at the grocery? More importantly, my beloved mother-in-law passed away two weeks ago. We miss her beautiful spirit and presence. She was one of God’s beloved daughters. Proverbs 31 could have been written with her in mind.

Yep, if stress could be measured on a thermometer, I believe I would be smack dab in the middle of a heat wave; a spiritual Sahara. I vented a little of my frustration a couple of days ago via email to some new friends I made at the She Speaks conference. I’ve been a little distressed that I didn’t hear back from anyone. I tried not to think about it, but the less I tried to think about it the more attention it demanded from my getting-mushier-by-the-minute grey matter.

In the mornings lately I have begun to read my way through the Psalms again, and as I read I pray for God to speak to me through the scripture. The other day I was reading Psalm 18. Verses 30-31, and 50 set up camp in my head. Psalm 18:30-31 reads

“As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?”
And in verse 50
…”he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.”

God IS unfailingly kind and patient with me, so why do I still let the troubles of the world weigh me down? I have claimed these verses and thanked God for his truth.

This morning I felt very hopeful as I checked my email for the hundredth time since I sent out my little SOS. I signed in and clicked on the “check messages” icon but to no avail. I signed out and had a wee little pity party for myself. Okay, not really a pity party, more like a sinking, deflated feeling. But then, I had a little nudge to check my spam folder. I never look through the spam, but I did today. And there it was, several sweet and reassuring messages of encouragement. And, once again, I am floored by my God who sends agents in his stead to show his unfailing kindness and love. God is so good to me! I will never understand why He has given me so many wonderful friends, old and new, silver and gold. But, I am ever thankful. And, I pray that I will be the friend they deserve back.