Satan's Snares

This post is for those out there that are angry, frustrated, scared, tired, irritable, and just down right fed up with everything. I hear you and feel your pain.

I was talking to a friend who summed up how I was feeling, but was talking about herself and I realized -- WOW! I am not the only one! She mentioned how by the time she got everyone up, dressed, fed, the chores done, and got to church on time on Sunday morning that she felt like she needed to be walking in on her knees - praying for forgiveness. That was me in a nutshell.

My life is chaotic and stressful everyday like that not just on Sundays though. I know there are those super efficient, organized folks out there saying that I need to prepare better and not take on so much. But I have a news flash for them, it just doesn't always work that way.

I have situations in my life (crosses to bear, so to speak) that you can't just toss aside like worn out shoes. You can substitute your own crosses here, but these are a few of mine for example.

• An elder parent to care for with doctor appointments, illnesses to nurse, feelings to consider, and affairs to keep in order
• A teenage child to provide for (solely) with doctor appointments, illnesses to nurse, hormones to weather, education to manage, friends to monitor, an un-supportive un-helpful other parent to make up for, and a future to help plan
• A home that is constantly needing repairs (leaking pipes, stopped up toilets, etc.)
• A laundry pile that seems to multiple every night
• A multitude of pets that have been rescued from abandonment to crippling vehicle accidents
• An aging vehicle that needs replaced, but who has time to car shop
• Shopping with a salary that has not been increasing at the same rate as the prices at the gas pumps and grocery stores
• Working with cranky, irritable people who are dealing with as much stress (sometimes more) than you are and many who do not know Jesus

I have to curtail the list because it is truly endless, but you get the point. These are things that can't be organized into tidy little cubicles or pared out of our lives.

This is all part of God's plan! He is using us to make a difference in some else's life or to care for his creations or helping us to grow beyond what we thought that we could. He isn't looking for perfect people. He is looking for the lost. And personally, I am very grateful.

I pray God has a place and a use for each of you. Remember to count those blessings, too.