Rising Above the Muck and Mire

My dear friend, Cheri, has been challenging me in her outlook on life.  Her posts are always uplifting, truthful and positive.  If one to look just at the surface of such posts, you could get the idea that her life is perfect and she is blessed and doesn't know what it is like to be in the muck and mire.  But that attitude would be incredibly self centered and completely telling of the fact that you really don't know Cheri.  She knows those days, she's lived them,  and continues to live them day after day.  What makes the difference is on what she chooses to concentrate.  She chooses to look through the day and "find the happy" and dwell on that.  She epitomizes Philippians 4:7-9.


⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 ⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Today I had a prime opportunity live out the option myself,  not that I don't have the same option everyday.  But today was a good example in my own life.  This morning was a late morning for our household.  I sat at the computer before the kiddos got up and listened to my youngest coughing.  It was that dreaded 'seal bark' cough.  I have heard it before, with his oldest brother.  That time we wound up in Children's Hospital for 2 days.  I was also thinking of the finances and time commitments necessary for a trip to the doctor today.  Then i started thinking of church tonight, I was supposed to do AV for praise and prayer and then teach kids.  It was slightly overwhelming to think of it all.

So I just started taking one thing at a time.  I talked to the nurse, made a doctor's appointment,  talked with others about church issues, talked with the oldest and arranged child care.  It was going to be okay.  I could breathe.

When Buddy, Little Man and I go to the doctor's office was when God really started showing off, however. We checked in and found out we had a credit, so the copay was covered!  Doctor confirmed my suspicions of croup, but put my mind at ease, saying we got it VERY early and a few days of steroids should do the trick!  We go to Target to pick up the meds at the pharmacy, and not only found a front row parking space, but a basket/buggy/cart/whatever you want to call it, waiting right beside the space ready for the sleepy cranky toddler!  The meds were less than the cash I had in my wallet so I had enough for a Happy Hour run to Sonic to reward the two who had stayed at home as well as the sick child and his brother who went with me!  And last but not least, hubby got to come home relatively early and eat supper with us!  God has certainly shown off today! And I am pleased and feel rather blessed.

And what is more,  I did nothing to earn these blessings, absolutely nothing!  In fact if you were a fly on the wall at my house yesterday, you would have witnessed a very stressful day which I did NOT handle well at all.  My behavior yesterday should have merited me much much worse than God showing off like He did today.  But that made the grace and blessings of today all that much sweeter.