Forgotten Pocketbooks, Broken Dryers and Affairs of the Heart

by Betty, a friend in Virginia, who gave me permission to include this article in "Heart to Heart."  Betty told me, " It it helps someone else in their walk with the Lord, then to Him be the praise.  My prayer is that others would find peace and contentment in the Person of Christ."

If you have seen my status updates over the last week, you may have noticed a trend relating to Trials.  I have always been one that can pretty well accept the big, out-of-control trials such as the tragic ordeal Mom endured as she was physically and mentally violated, or the death of a loved one.  But for all of my life, I have struggled with the little, ankle-biting, day-to-day trials that are sent my way.  Give me the Rottweiler, just don't sic the Chihuahua on me!  In the last week, my daughter caught the flu; my back decided to “go out” (and not take me with it!); my son's truck broke down requiring many, many dollars to fix; the dryer quit; I worked on our taxes only to learn that we will have to pay thousands (yes, there is an “s” on that!) more on April 18th;  in the midst of all of this, we moved my mother-in-law from the retirement community she had been living in for the last year back into her own house.  When I opened my email this morning, there was a message from my husband telling me that he found my pocketbook in the van when he got to work this morning.  I will be without it all day.  (Ladies, I know you understand how lost you feel when you don’t have your purse!)

I could be very tempted to be discouraged by this list of difficulties/annoyances/irritations or whatever you want to call them.  However, last night I was reminded in a book  that I am reading that “Contentment is a state of the heart, not a state of affairs.”  I have to ask myself, will I choose to dwell on all the blessings that God has so richly poured out on me?  Do I really believe that He is working out all things for my good and His glory?  Are His mercies never ceasing?  Will I trust Him in the day-to-day difficulties?

I have to say a resounding “Yes”!!!  Not because I am able to do this in my own strength - I have none. I am puny, negative and prone to grumbling.  But in Philippians 4, Paul talks about “learning” to be content.  It doesn’t come naturally; it has to be learned.  So how do I “learn” to be content?  Obviously, I will not learn much if everything is going smoothly.  The trials that are sent from my loving Heavenly Father are designed to teach me contentment.  Paul follows up his statement about learning to be content with a verse that we often take out of context.  When read  in context, what an encouragement it is - “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”  In His strength, I CAN be content despite a forgotten pocketbook or a broken dryer. 

Practically, what does that look like?  Well, by dwelling on the promises and blessings that have been given me I see how there are new mercies everyday.  

• I am making a list of all the blessings of the last week.  They far outnumber the difficulties.  It is good to have something in writing to look at and remind myself how God has been faithful in the big and small circumstances of my life.
• I am making a list of verses that encourage me to “press on” to the end.  Verses like II Cor. 4: 17-18 “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”  If I thought this life was all there was, I would be in despair.  But it is not!  And somehow these trials are preparing me for heaven.
• I am speaking truth to myself rather than listening to the litany of discouraging thoughts that want to take over in my head.  In his book, The Cross Centered Life, C.J. Mahaney says, “ On a daily basis we’re faced with two simple choices.  We can either listen to ourselves and our constantly changing feelings about our circumstances, or we can talk to ourselves about the unchanging truth of who God is and what He’s accomplished for us at the cross…Is it any wonder we’re so often unhappy?  We’re listening to ourselves.  We need to start talking to ourselves instead.”
• And finally, I am examining my heart to see where I have been putting my trust.  For example as I think about the amount of shekels we will have to give the IRS, I am considering my own attitudes about money.  Is my security in having a comfortable emergency fund saved or is my security in the One Who owns the cattle on a thousand hills AND the hills!  When I do not respond to trials with the fruit of the Spirit, then I need to see what is going on with my heart.  I need to be thankful for the wake-up call on some heart issues.
  
  

Today I can truthfully  say that I am content with my present circumstances and I am not afraid of what new trials may be in store.  When I hear myself say this, I am amazed.  This is all of God’s grace - I cannot do it in myself.  To Him be the praise!

 

What a Day! Ladies, Can You Relate to This?

Author unknown, Contributed by Dianna Bishop from Ohio

Dear God, are You still awake? Have You got a minute or two?
You're pretty good at understanding and I really need to talk to you.
You see, Mommy came to tuck me in, like she does every night.
I was trying to play a trick on her, since she can't see without the light.
I was going to close my eyes and pretend to be asleep.
But when I heard her crying, I didn't dare let out a peep.
She started talking to you, God.  Did You hear the things she said?
Could You hear what she was saying as she stood beside my bed?
Why would Mommy be so sad? I wondered just what I had done, 

And then I began to remember it all as she named them one by one...

This morning we worked in the garden, but, honest, I really didn't know
That if I picked all those little yellow blooms the tomatoes wouldn't grow!
Charlie and I were trying to be helpers, 'cause I know that's what Mommy needs,
But I don't think she was too happy with us when we pulled up carrots instead of weeds .
Mommy said we should stop for the day.  She decided we had helped quite enough.
I sure had worked up an appetite ... I didn't know gardening was so tough!

We had peanut-butter and jelly for lunch and I shared too much, I guess,
But I didn't realize until I was done that Charlie had made such a mess.
Mommy said she needed a nap.  She had one of her headaches today.
She told me to keep an eye on my sister and find something quiet to play.
Well, God, do You remember all those curls You gave my little sister Jenny?
We played barber shop ... very quietly ... and now, well, she doesn't have any.
Boy, was Mommy mad at me ... I had to go sit on my bed.
She said never to cut "people's hair" again. I guess I'll practice on Charlie instead.
We sat and watched poor old Albert, I just knew he must be so bored,

Going round and round In the same place all day, Wouldn't You think so, Lord?
I didn't think it would hurt to let him out for a while. I mean, mice need exercise, too.

By the way, have You seen Albert lately? He's been sort of missing since two.

Mommy sent us outside for the rest of the day. She said we needed fresh air.
But when Daddy came home she told him she was trying to get something out of her hair.
We thought Mommy needed cheering up, so we decided to brighten her day.
But, God, did You see the look on her face when we gave her that pretty bouquet?
We had gotten a little bit dirty, so Mommy said to get in the tub

And "Use soap this time," she reminded, "And please don't forget to scrub."
Charlie didn't like the water too much, but I lathered up real good.
I knew Mommy would be so proud of me for cleaning up like I should.
I went downstairs to the table, but during dinner it started to rain...
I'd forgotten to turn off the water, it seems, and I hadn't unplugged the drain!
I decided right then it was just about time to start getting ready for bed,
When Mommy said, "It's sure been a long day," and her face began turning all red.
I lay there listening to Mommy as she told You about our day.
I thought about all of the things I had done and I wondered what I should say.

I was just about to tell her that I'd been awake all along,
And ask her to please forgive me for all of those things I'd done wrong.
When suddenly, I heard her whisper, "God, forgive me for today...
For not being more understanding when those problems came my way...
For not handling situations in the way You wanted me to...

For getting angry and losing my temper, things I know You don't want me to do.
And, God, please give me more patience, help me make it through another day,
I'll do better tomorrow I promise ... In Jesus' name I pray."

Wiping her eyes, she kissed me and knelt here beside my bed.
She stroked my hair for a little while ... "I love you, precious," Mommy said.
She left the room without ever knowing that I'd been awake all the time.
And God, could we make it our little secret? You know, just Yours and mine?
I'm sorry I was so much trouble today, I really didn't mean to be...
Daddy says, "It's tough being a kid sometimes, but I think it's harder on Mommy than me.
Well, goodnight, God. Thanks for listening.  It's sure nice to know You're there.
I feel so much better when I talk to You 'cause You always hear my prayer.
And I'll do better tomorrow, I promise ... just You wait and see!
I'll try not to be much trouble again, but, God, please give more patience to Mommy.
Just in case!  Amen. 

Do You Ever Have Days Like this? Maybe Even Weeks or More?

"Some days are easy, like licking icing off a spoon.  Today was more like stapling Jell-O to a brick." ~~ quote submitted by Barb Campbell in Mississippi

Note from Lois (June, 2002): 
After being gone from home for nine days, so my husband, John, could paint his mother's house in Pennsylvania, we came home to witness our almost 30 year old avocado green refrigerator take its last breath Saturday evening.  A kind neighbor is loaning us space in her spare refrigerator this week and we are thankful not to have lost much food.  It will be Friday before our new "white" one will arrive, so this week will be a challenge for us to live without having perishables available and not having leftovers all week. 


Just in case some of you ladies think I have an immaculate house because I send out homemaking tips, seeing the floor and wall where our old refrigerator set would dispel all those kind thoughts, believe me!  I battle dust, dirt, grime, disorganization, clutter and wonder what to have for dinner just like everyone else!  Just thought you'd like to know!  (Smile)

A Less Than Perfect Day

by Annetta Elgie in Arkansas

This morning I went to laundromat to wash my kitchen rugs.  Good!  Came home and was too lazy to make two trips, so I carried in the rugs, purse, pop, and liquid soap all at once.  Not good!  I got in front door ... accidentally dropped soap ... the cap broke to pieces when it fell, and liquid laundry detergent poured everywhere in the entry! UGH!  I saved the soap by using hand towels and bath towels to sop it up, and now I am washing all the towels I could find to "save" the used soap.  Go figure. But I did get a very clean floor, so not all was lost!

If I would just slow down and do the "right" thing, I wouldn't have had to make a bigger mess for myself.  What was really funny (glad no one was here to see it) was that the liquid soap was in a big puddle on the tile floor, so I thought, "How am I going to save this?  I don't want to waste this precious soap!"  So I went and got a dust pan and a little scraper to scrape it all up and put back in the bottle.  Well, while doing this, the puddle expanded!  I dribbled liquid soap all over the outside of the container and in more places on the floor, so I had to go to "Plan B," which was to get a washcloth and bowl, wipe up the soap and wring out the cloth. 

That didn't work too well, since the washcloth got too gooey, so then "Plan C" was to use dampened dish towels and hand towels to wipe it up.  I had to wipe it up about four times to remove all the soap, and then I had to keep washing with new towels to clean up the leftover soap!  It was a HUGE mess, but I've learned my lesson:  "Haste makes waste!"


POOR ME STORY # 2 (LESS THAN PERFECT WEEKS)
by Lois - February, 2010

I told Annetta that if she would share her "Poor Me Story" with you all, I'd share our ordeal from the past two weeks of losing our hot water and heat - not once, but twice.  Two days after we got home from my husband's semi-retirement trip, we went to bed in a cold house, although the problem was seemingly fixed the next day for a very hefty fee.  We also smelled a burnt odor around the hot water heater after the job was done - not good!  That didn't seem right to my husband and he asked the repairman about that (no reply), but since the odor went away, we relaxed.  Less than a week later though, the hot water heater quit for the second time!  It has saved us a lot on gas bills, since it is a high efficiency water heater that works in connection with our furnace - the reason for no heat.

While John went about solving the mechanical problem, I brought our water distiller upstairs, to help heat our kitchen as it distilled water.  I turned on our small space heater, heated water in two large pots and the teapot on the stove, turned on the oven with the oven door ajar, pulled the blinds, hung quilts in the doorways to the kitchen and family room to keep the heat contained, and we kept dressed warmly.  I washed and rinsed all the dishes from the dishwasher full of dirty dishes and let them air dry.  We decided not to use our fireplace, because of allergies, and besides that, John would have had to climb up on the roof to uncover the flue.  With wind gusts as high as 60 mph at the time, we ruled that out!

So on the first day of the second breakdown, my good husband made calls for hours, and ran all over town and several other towns nearby in search of help to order another water heater like ours, that served us well for about twenty years.  The company was sold, so it took a while to find out all the details.  He learned that a new hot water heater could be here on Monday, but it would probably be Tuesday until it could be installed.  In the meantime, we were having temperatures in the twenties and as high as 30 degrees, but we settled in with the thought of just making the best of it to keep warm - sort of like camping out!

I kept telling myself, "This is kind of like an adventure, and we do still have electricity - just no hot water or heat."  So that evening I washed my hair in the kitchen sink, using some of the water simmering on the stove.  In the morning it was only 60 degrees everywhere in the house - quite chilly!  We had our space heater on in the bedroom the night before, but I couldn't sleep with the bright orange glow in the room, so I turned it off.  Besides it was plenty warm in bed with all those blankets.  In the morning a good friend brought her two space heaters over for us to use, which really helped!

Well, this is getting too long and drawn out, so I'll tell you the bottom line!  After two days of having a rather chilly house, my husband made another phone call, and the owner of this company himself came out to fix the water heater!  Bless him!  He said the man last week put in a faulty replacement part and crossed the wires - the reason for the burnt odor.  We are grateful that it's nice and warm in our home once again!  Little things in life like hot water and heat make such a big difference, and I'm a more thankful person this week - not taking as much for granted!