You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
Psalm 32: 7-8
My daughter was sick. I'd been up two night straight with her crying. We were both exhausted. She had a chest cold. During the day she was perfectly happy and would play and laugh and sing (though her voice was hoarse), but after she'd gone to bed the coughing would start. It made sense. When she was up and moving all of the mucus that her body was producing was draining properly and when she laid down all that mucus would just build up...plus there is her Binky (pacifier) that I do not look forward to separating her from this summer. She thinks she needs Binky to fall asleep, but she needed to breath through her mouth since her nose was stuffed up. Bedtime became this little power struggle between my daughter's need to breath and her perceived need for Binky.
At one point, she awoke and I could hear her milling about, looking for Binky to help her go back to sleep. This, of course, did not work. So she did the only thing she could do at this point: stand up at the end of her crib and cry. I stumbled down the hallway in the dark and opened her door. The minute she saw me she stretched out her arms, opening and closing her fists (her sign for want) and said "Mama" in the most pitiful little voice ever. I scooped her up and she immediately wrapped her arms around my neck and held on close, melting into my arms. With only a word she told me she was sick, tired, and scared. Binky wasn't going to fix this. Only Mama can.
How often I do the same thing with God. When I am ailing, whether physically or emotionally, I don't default to God's help like I should. I look for something else to help, I try to find some Binky to pacify me. I'll think maybe I can just power through an illness. If my life isn't going right or my plans are failing I'll focus on making sure my house is super clean or I'll start some meaningless project thinking that if I can just have a tidy home or do this one thing everything in my life will be okay. Now don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in getting the help you need. Take the Robitussin, get a therapist, do what you need to do to feel better, but make sure God is your first physician. When I am frantically searching for a remedy to my problem, I need to be going to God. He knows exactly what it is that will make me feel better. Many times, just being in His presence soothes my soul. God is the best parent, too. When I finally remember to give up the pacifier and let God take over, I can cry out to him. He'll pick me up and calm me down and tend to my needs.
Thank you, Lord.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
Psalm 32: 7-8
My daughter was sick. I'd been up two night straight with her crying. We were both exhausted. She had a chest cold. During the day she was perfectly happy and would play and laugh and sing (though her voice was hoarse), but after she'd gone to bed the coughing would start. It made sense. When she was up and moving all of the mucus that her body was producing was draining properly and when she laid down all that mucus would just build up...plus there is her Binky (pacifier) that I do not look forward to separating her from this summer. She thinks she needs Binky to fall asleep, but she needed to breath through her mouth since her nose was stuffed up. Bedtime became this little power struggle between my daughter's need to breath and her perceived need for Binky.
At one point, she awoke and I could hear her milling about, looking for Binky to help her go back to sleep. This, of course, did not work. So she did the only thing she could do at this point: stand up at the end of her crib and cry. I stumbled down the hallway in the dark and opened her door. The minute she saw me she stretched out her arms, opening and closing her fists (her sign for want) and said "Mama" in the most pitiful little voice ever. I scooped her up and she immediately wrapped her arms around my neck and held on close, melting into my arms. With only a word she told me she was sick, tired, and scared. Binky wasn't going to fix this. Only Mama can.
How often I do the same thing with God. When I am ailing, whether physically or emotionally, I don't default to God's help like I should. I look for something else to help, I try to find some Binky to pacify me. I'll think maybe I can just power through an illness. If my life isn't going right or my plans are failing I'll focus on making sure my house is super clean or I'll start some meaningless project thinking that if I can just have a tidy home or do this one thing everything in my life will be okay. Now don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in getting the help you need. Take the Robitussin, get a therapist, do what you need to do to feel better, but make sure God is your first physician. When I am frantically searching for a remedy to my problem, I need to be going to God. He knows exactly what it is that will make me feel better. Many times, just being in His presence soothes my soul. God is the best parent, too. When I finally remember to give up the pacifier and let God take over, I can cry out to him. He'll pick me up and calm me down and tend to my needs.
Thank you, Lord.
Are we living the same life? Keep speaking life to my soul girl!
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