Praising Him in the Storm

My emotions go up and down on a daily (or hourly) basis. It is hard to hold it together as a woman sometimes, because we are the "glue" in the family. God is certainly the center of our family, but any Mom knows what I mean. We run the house and have to be there to make sure everybody else has their needs met. We are often the last ones on our "to do" list and sometimes that last item gets skipped altogether for lack of time or energy.

Lately, I've had to put a "game face" on a lot. It is hard to be in the midst of a storm with 4 small children and a husband that is hurting also. Everybody's lives seem to go on as "normal" and here we are mourning one of the biggest losses of our lives. It is hard to still wrap my mind around all that has happened in a very short period of time. It is impossible to figure out the 'why' of the situation and 'how' people can be so unloving.

Sometimes when Jamie and I are lying in bed we talk to one another about the raw feelings that we are still going through. Sometimes I cry and have a strong sense of sadness over me. Sometimes I'm just so angry that I can't even express it. Some days are OK and we don't even mention the elephant that is in the room. We both know it is always there, but why dwell on it.

These events and people may be in our past, but doesn't make it hurt less. We are going without many things that people find "normal" in their own lives. I've learned over the course of the last couple of months never to assume how people should feel in a situation. Never assume that someone has to die to go through mourning process. And never assume because people are smiling that they aren't hurting.

But, I sat here today and thought to myself. We have been under attack by Satan. We have not turned against God and we have praised him for our blessings that we have had. We are buying a house, we are healthy, Jamie loves his job, we do have a temporary roof over our heads, etc. If Satan is attacking, then maybe we were doing something right at least. Doesn't Satan attack where God is at work? Doesn't Satan hate it when we are doing God's will? Satan knew exactly where to punch. He knew exactly who to use and what would finally get us out of the way.

So, if things are going great in your life....praise God for that! If you are in a storm...praise God for that, because you may have just been doing something "right" all along.