Rejoice in the Lord always!

Philippians 4:4-8
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."

Just being real here...the last few days have been rough. Dan's been out of town for going on two weeks. I want my husband back and the kids need their daddy back. Whenever I express that, either out loud, written down, or in my head, I always feel guilty. It's been two weeks. My "kid" brother, Brian, has been serving in Afghanistan. His wife and son are missing him for months. And then I think of all the single parents out there...when Dan is gone, my respect for them deepens. And perspective gives me a good kick in the rear. All that being said...the last few days have been rough.

Last night, I told my kids I might be adding a class to their day once they get home. It would be called, "How To Treat My Family." This morning, I woke up and realized I need to hire a teacher and become one of the students. The "whatevers" from Phil. 4:8 flooded my mind. I looked it up and was given another kick in my rear reading verse 4. I have to admit I am not a great rejoicer when I am tired, overwhelmed, irritable. I briefly talked with mom Ernst yesterday and vented to her a little bit. She told me she would take it to the Lord in prayer. She is doing what I should have...clearly stated in verse 6. God cares! He cares about the squabbles. He cares about the amount of energy I have! He cares about me trying to teach my "anti-social" child when she is being rude. He cares about the stubbornness in another child. He cares about the attitude in the third. And He cares about the mistakes I've made and the feeling of failure at times. And how quickly I forget He cares and not surrender my burden to Him. He promises peace which will "guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus!" Amen! Many times, I feel I am losing my mind. I don't know a mom out there who wouldn't want to claim that promise.

So, today I am going to pray for wisdom, energy, patience, kindness for myself and for my kids. And I am going to choose to rejoice and not be negative!

Thank you, Lord, for being patient and loving this child.