Proverbs 17:17

Today I had a great morning devotion. The kind that both convicts and encourages you. Then just before nap, me and the kiddos had another great devotion. It was the kind that left me so full of joy and gratitude that I was in tears. I read them a story from a book called "Wisdom and the Millers: Proverbs for Children". It has 25 little short stories and each one focuses on a verse from Proverbs. Today story was on Proverbs 17:17, one I would have told you I knew well. "A friend loveth at all times..." Well that's the part I was especially familiar with. But the second part of that verse says, "...and a brother is born for adversity." I've never really noticed the second part too much. A brother is born for adversity. Hum. Then tears. Now I have not done my homework and I don't know if that means a literal brother as in a sibling or if it could mean a brother in Christ. Either way, I thought of how blessed our family is. I know well what adversity means. Hard times. So a brother is born for those hard times. Part of the reason we are born is to love, support, encourage, and help each other. I reminded the kids how blessed they are to have each other, and how they should take care of each other. I thought of how blessed I am to have a best friend in Wesley, to be the mother of 4 children here on earth, to be surrounded by other family and friends who love me so much, and to know Jesus as a friend. I was truly overflowing with gratitude for the blessings in my life.

I decided, I would have to write all about our day today. I began forming my little blog post in my head and thinking about adding some pictures. I settled all the kids down for nap, worked on several things, made/returned a couple calls, etc. And in a blink, rest time was over. The kids have gotten in bed late several nights recently and I decided I would be sure to get them in on time tonight. So after nap, we all got busy with chores, had some play time, and soon it was time for me to prepare dinner. That's when grateful mommy exited and some very tired, crabby woman who I did not like so much entered. Wesley is working evenings most of this week which has it's pros and cons for a homeschool family. But tonight all I could think of were the cons. All of a sudden I felt so tired I thought I was going to fall out. All I could think about was how much longer until bedtime. It seemed everything the kids did or said annoyed me. I was irritable and on edge. I was also distracted by all the things I knew I still needed to do tonight, including (and how crazy is this!!!!) write on my blog about how grateful I was for my family. The words, "double-minded" came to mind. Grumbling and complaining AND planning to write about feeling grateful and blessed, hum? I'm pretty sure those two do not go together or at least should not go together.

Fortunately, the Lord Himself so gently pointed this out to me and with the help of the Holy Spirit I was able to persevere in better spirits. The kids are all tucked in and asleep now, and I really must hit that major big to-do list. But I decided to decompress for a few minutes and write about it anyway. I'm sure I'm not alone. Maybe it will encourage someone else to know they are not alone either. The past tells me I will have many more moments like this in the future (like tomorrow), so it's a good for me to reflect on today.

Not so coincidental, I was also reading in Matthew 16:24 today...

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

**Note - In case you missed it, there's another new post below this one. Check it out too!