If you can answer “no” to this question, I have one thing to say – liar!   I say this gently, smiling, but nodding in disbelief.

Last week was, at best, full.  This week will be at best, crazy.  Let me give you a brief glimpse, and then I will share a guest post with you, and… go take a nap. NOT.

• My husband works with 2 other full-time ministers.  Starting today, our 3 families will celebrate the birthdays of 5 of our 11 children.  Yes, almost half in just  seven short days.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Emma (8), Clark (4), Avery (9), Landri (7), and Cade (9).
• Teacher of 2 of my girls has a birthday today…gift still at the store
• Birthday girl with dance recital which means 3 nights of practice this week.
• Funeral today, for most of us to attend.
• Wednesday night meal for 70 to prepare…with NO ideas as of yet.  Once I have the idea, shopping must occur.  That’s what midnight is for.
• Daughter One has a basketball banquet.  3 dishes for potluck.
• Son has a birthday party for 4-year-old mentioned above.
• Daughter Three has her last soccer game.
• Daughter Two has her dance recital.  She is thrilled.  Saturday night at 5pm at Memorial Hall.  All are invited.  Admission is free.
• My husband is preaching Sunday.  Which means a sermon must be prepared before then.  Again, that is what midnight is for, right?
• It is Administrative Assistant Week.  We love you Maxine!
• And, did I mention that my mother-in-law, and possibly a few other family members may be coming to join the circus.  Her birthday is also Sunday.
• Thankfully, my mother called last night to regretfully inform me that they were not going to be able to come as planned….PLANNED??? by who?  This was the first word I had heard that they were coming….  grandparents love to come for birthdays and my kids get very excited.  Me too,  just not about cleaning EVERY room of the house!   Now that I know they were thinking about it, I am actually a little bummed they can’t make it.

So, here is one of the first things I read this morning.  God is sooo good, and knows how to prepare us for what is ahead.  I hope I remember to seek Him in the small moments, remain joyous in all things, and celebrate this exciting week with my family.  If you are feeling the least bit “at the end of your rope”, just remember that God is the one holding on!  If you drive by house and it is covered in “snow”,  just laugh with me!!!

When All Else Fails . . . Throw Flour

Posted on 04.14.10 by Erin Davis

I’d been having a really bad day. You know, the kind of day where everything that possibly can go wrong, does. My toddler had thrown one too many fits, my baby needed a little too much of my attention, lunch was burning on the stove, and my house looked like a toy bomb had gone off . . . After a while little things seemed huge and I started feeling really stressed and frustrated. My blood started to boil. I wanted to blow my top. I wanted to yell at my family. I wanted to curl up on the couch and feel sorry for myself. I wanted to wallow in the notion that God didn’t give a hoot. But, I didn’t. I threw flour instead.

Let me explain.

When we are feeling stressed and stretched to the max, there are lots of destructive ways we can respond. We can lash out at our husbands and children. We can medicate ourselves with food, or shopping, or the Internet. We can look to our human relationships to soothe us. We can turn to substances like drugs or alcohol looking for a high to counteract our lows. We can vent. We can bail. We can sink into despair. Or we can cling to God’s Truth and find a way to keep on going.

When my day got uber-stressful, I felt myself starting to believe the lies of the Enemy. My problems seemed insurmountable. My stress felt unmanageable. My family felt like the enemy. Instead of lashing out or losing control, I found a way to get a grip. I grabbed the huge bucket of flour I was using to cook with, hauled it outside, and called for my husband and son. We took turns lobbing flour at each other, and before long we were laughing so hard, the stress we were facing just melted away.

When it was all said and done (it took us an hour to sweep up all the flour), I was reminded that living out God’s Truth is a choice. Stress is part of life. Bad days will come. Defeat and despair will always knock at the doors of our hearts. We can react in ways that hurt ourselves or our families, or we can find a way to keep going and cling to the hope God offers us in His Word.

You don’t have to throw flour to get through your own stress. You can take a walk, call up a friend, go pick flowers, knit, draw, sing, dance . . . the possibilities are endless. The point is to do something constructive that allows you to take a breath and get some fresh perspective.