He restores my soul

The past 48 hours have been trying and rather emotional, to say the least. Nothing extravagant or traumatic has happened, really. But every now and then I reach my limit with Billy's traveling schedule. Every time Billy takes a trip, which is usually every week, God sustains me and meets me where I'm at each and every time. Every so often I hit my limit...where I just don't think I'm emotionally able to keep saying goodbye for a few days just to say hello for 24-48 hours, to then say goodbye again. It's not always this vigorous, but in those moments where I reach my limit you would think my husband is a soldier fighting in Afghanistan who has been gone for 18 months. Not so much the case.

I could write out the whole story, but I think that would put me back a few steps and keep me dwelling on the unfortunate. So we'll just start with this morning...this morning I was emotionally and physically drained. I was supposed to pick Billy up at 9:35 this morning. Shortly after I woke up, knowing that I was in a not so great emotional state I sent an e-mail to friends asking for prayers knowing that I was going to desperately need supernatural energy, patience, and and generosity to make it through today. A few minutes later I get a phone call that put icing on my already drained cake saying that Billy missed his connecting flight...so he will now be home for 24 hours to the minute. Now my sweet husband is emotionally and physically drained. After I got off the phone I found myself in tears again over the small stuff crying out to the Lord - about the very little stuff like my husband missing his flight. And I sat there playing with Luke as he's just giggling and cooing away totally avoiding the obvious. You know those moments when you know know know with everything in you that you should speak up to the Lord, but you just realllllly don't feel like it? Maybe it's just me. But today was one of those times. In my mind I'm thinking, "I don't want to talk about it and I don't want to deal with it. So I'll just mope about it, thank you very much." So in the midst of my tears I started pouring out my heart to Him, the only things coming to mind were thanks and praises to Him for all sorts of things. And then begging for strength and energy and for a glad and servant's heart to welcome my husband home and make the best of our short time together. And then praying for my husband, who is completely exhausted when all he wants to be doing is eating breakfast with us and soaking up some quality time instead of sitting in the airport drinking halfway decent coffee.

My very specific requests were as follows:

-pray that I would have supernatural energy to make it through this next day

-that I would have patience with Billy's schedule

-that I would stop dwelling on the crapiness of this situation

-that I would look for opportunities to serve Billy when he gets home

-And lastly that I would still find ways to praise Him in the midst of the tears

And would you believe it, just like He always does, He restored my soul. And I am singing songs of praise to my sustainer and creator on this beautiful day.

Thank you for....

#26 - letting my husband arrive safely in Chicago and get sleep on the plane.

#27 - my dear sisters in Christ that will lift me up in prayer

#28 - giving Billy a job that allows me the opportunity to stay home with Lucas

#29 - Billy's patience and hardworking attitude and desire to provide for us

#30 - for Luke's handsome smile and sweet excitement that greeted me this morning when I got him out of his crib

#31 - my generous mom that offered to fly Luke and I to New Mexico with Billy, even though it didn't work out

#32 - sleep for Luke and I this morning during nap time :)

#33 - a very healthy and happy baby

#34 - the gift of technology

#35 - restoring my soul this morning.

This verse spoke to me greatly this morning...

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, HE RESTORES MY SOUL....He guides me in paths of righteousness for HIS name's sake.

Psalm 23:1-3