Do you ever have days when you are totally fed up for no particular reason? I’m having one of those today. It might have something to do with the fact that I am on my 9,640 diet but I’m not sure. The weather is nice so I can’t blame that. I took our two dogs, Belle and Tink out for a walk at lunchtime and the sun is shining and the air is warm. Perhaps I’m fed up with myself because I haven’t done any exercise today? I just find it very hard to believe that there is anything in the Bible about exercising on a Monday. I know that we are called to take care of our bodies but surely not on a Monday!
It’s not as if I don’t have things to do because I do. I need to head to the grocery store as our shelves are getting bare but the thought of pushing a cart up and down isles looking at the same stuff I looked at last week is doing nothing to inspire me. I could tackle the laundry instead but I’m sure I washed the exact same stuff a couple of days ago. It is amazing to me that one twelve year old boy can go through as many clothes as my son Christian does. He has an uncanny ability to implant stains on his white school shirts that no amount of every possible product advertised on television can remove.
I remember picking him up after his first day in kindergarten and he was upset because he had mud all over his pants. I told him not to worry that was a sign that he had a good day. Well, he took that one to heart and has been having good days ever since.
I’m watching Belle and Tink as I write. I gave them both a bone this morning. Belle ate hers and Tink hid hers until Belle was finished. Now Tink is sitting right in front of Belle savoring ever bite of her buried treasure. Belle appears to be muttering something under her breath and I don’t think it’s one of the Psalms! I’m laughing as I watch this little doggy melodrama and I remember what I know but often forget. It is good to laugh! Scripture tells us that laughter is good medicine. I think it’s a vitamin shot, a pain pill and at times even a tranquilizer to get us though tough stuff. For me today, it’s a reminder not to take life or myself too seriously and like everything else, bad days pass. I’d love to write more but I’ve got shopping to do and laundry….well, you know!
Check back on Monday’s and Thursday’s for new posts from Sheila.
posted June 22, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Sheila~
We pray you get those big dose shots of laughter this week!
Life sure is full of ups and downs but thankfully we have a
great supporter of encouragement in Jesus. Hope you got the
laundry and shopping done:)Now go out and have a big belly
laughing time with your guys!!
Sarah & Mom
posted June 25, 2009 at 4:03 pm
I think we all have those days. Days that dawn bright and beautiful but our hearts and minds can’t (or don’t wish to) see the sunlight. For the past two weeks, I have had this inability to find the bright spot in each day, though in my case I can trace it back to a sentence uttered with force and surety by a colleague: “You’re going to hell.” Despite the fact that I hold God’s word close to my heart, this person, someone I respected and trusted and whom I went to for guidance, felt a need to condemn me on the spot. The lazy tailspin that I’ve been in for a couple of months has suddenly become tighter and faster.
While we all struggle with our own personal demons, could it be that someone mentioned a particular problem in your presence? Maybe it wasn’t directed at you but it made you stop and think? We try very hard to do all that God asks of us and outwardly, I’ll bet most of us pull that off. What about inside, though? When we look at ourselves, when we measure ourselves against what God expects of us, what do we see? For some of us, it’s why we have trouble finding contentment in each day. We no longer know, despite all the good that we feel we do, that we have found any favor in God’s eyes. And I speak for no one else when I say that but myself.
On the lighter side, there are many factors to take into consideration when we have days where we feel “off”, not the least of which is this: how many brownies did you eat the day before? Sugar hangovers have been scientifically classified as “The Pits”, AKA “I knew I shouldn’t have had that third piece of cake!”
Annie
posted June 26, 2009 at 1:26 am
Hi, Sheila. Nice to “meet you” on your blog.
I just wanted to tell you that I had the pleasure of hearing you speak at WOF in Des Moines this year. (Our small group of ladies will be going to WOF again in the fall.) Thank you for sharing what you do in your books, speaking, etc. I was immediately drawn to your honesty. I lost my Momma, my best friend in the world, a year and a half ago….it was all very traumatic. I was 27. A young mother of a lil’ boy who had just turned 3. I have been experiencing grief and mourning on so many different levels, and I write a lot about it on my blog. Sadly, in the world today–particularly IN the Church…grief is passed around like a hot potato….nobody knows what to do with it. So, my blog is a place for me to write about what nobody else wants to hear about. I just wanted to say thank you for being honest about grief and depression. I know MANY loved ones that are dealing with depression, and it seems so taboo for them to mention it…..I’m glad you tackle this subject that so many people, not just women, feel ashamed of. We will be going through your book “The Heartache No One Sees” at our small study for women at our church. Thank you immensely, again, for sharing your heart, and talking about the things that Believers NEED to talk about.
posted July 5, 2009 at 7:40 pm
First time on these pages and finding my way around. Came upon a familiar face and stopped. I had seen you years ago on TV and heard you sing as well. You were then and now a beacon. Relating a bit to Jessica’s post. My husband has stage 4 colon cancer and is dying. The doctor told him he could either come home and just die or decide to make the most out of the rest of his life. It dawned on me ( months now after the news) that he decided to live and I decided that day to die. Now I am deciding what to do with what I know. No conclusions yet. Its hard to talk with others about the depth of my feelings. My children are wonderful ( all grown) my husband is 62 and I am 59. I find I try to protect others from despair, perhaps honestly it is just another way I have of not facing it myself.
posted July 6, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Sheila,
I have many days that find me totally fed up with everything. But i wanted to say thank you for your post. I have to agree that the days I don’t take things so seriously and smile and laugh are the days that go well. So thanks for reminding me to be myself and put my trust where it nees to be.
posted July 13, 2009 at 8:57 am
Sheila, You made me laugh today. Thanks. Just talking about the dogs and the one watching the other savor his bone. I can picture it. I love dogs. My granddog is my favorite companion. Thanks again as I am too feeling alittle sluggish today. Linda