Heavy burdens.....

I am so glad it is Wednesday. It means that this week is halfway over! I am counting down the days until next week. No, nothing exciting is happening, but it just means the craziness of this week will be over and done.

Our week started off having to take our dog to the emergency vet clinic Sunday night. She was having an allergic reaction and starting to go into shock. Then I totally forgot to set my alarm Monday morning and woke up an hour late. I am in our church's dinner theater this weekend which is always so much fun, but it makes for a crazy schedule the week of. And then, Brennan had to go to the doctor last night in between supper and the crazy schedule. Then last but not least, our school fall festival is Saturday. Which means craziness mixed in with craziness.

I stay stressed out. It's my personality. I'm wound up tight and high strung. But at the same time, I have really listened to some things that God is trying to tell me. I deal with my day to day "ordeals"-- just the normal things that go along with trying to raise active boys and dealing with finances, and health concerns, and just those things that we call LIFE.

God has reminded me that I can fuss, complain, stress myself out, and stay nervous, but that's not really what He wants for me. This week has been sort of strange on top of all the normal things. I have made a great friendship with someone who right now, her and her husband are dealing with a very heavy burden in their lives. Sunday morning I tried to pray over her and I ended up weeping. I have a strong desire to take away people's pains and struggles. This week alone I have been told of someone getting diagnosed with breast cancer, a childhood friend having a baby several weeks early and the baby having to be rushed into heart surgery, and a couple of other situations that I won't mention. But, I hear so many stories of people having to deal with things in their lives that seem so out of control and out of their hands. I have really had some things put into perspective for me lately. Now, that 's not to say that I still don't have a hard time keeping my stress level in check, because I do. However, I am slowly starting to be able to sit back and analyze my situation--whatever it may be, whether dealing with my kids who bounce off the walls, or trying to manage our cash flow-- and realize I TRULY have nothing to complain about.

Just the situation with the Chilean miners trapped underground for all that time shows me how God can use negative situations for His good, His purpose and His glory. A couple of the miners who had not accepted Christ before the ordeal became saved while underground. One miner said there were not 33 of them underground all that time, but 34-- because God was with them. How many times does our media leave these things out? You never hear the full story and how in this situation they knew God was there and felt His presence.

To me, this situation could be used all over the world as proof that God can take care of us in any situation. However big or small I think my problem is, I should never have to worry about the outcome. And for others who's problems I want to take away from them but I can't, I know that I can at least pray for them. When prayer happens, supernatural things take place. Heaven moves in our favor if we are earnestly seeking what is desired of us from God. I wish I could take away pain and sickness and financial concerns and emotional hurt from others. But I can't do it. God knows the desires of our hearts before we speak them, but we are still instructed to earnestly pray.

I am surrounded my hurt this week. Different kinds of hurt and my heart seems heavy for people who are all around me. God is reminding me one friend at a time, that I am blessed. Not only am I blessed with things in my life, but I am blessed because I can consider it a privilege and an honor to earnestly be able to take some burden's off those I love by praying for them.