It's Only Tuesday

This is my week so far.

My Beloved spent almost all of Sunday in the ER with our 9 year old. Yesterday my clothes dryer broke. Today, what was a visit regarding a speech delay turned into a major unsuccessful excavation to get an object out of my daughter's ear. Oh, yes, my tooth pain has returned. Maybe it's not gingivitis after all. And every day the rest of this week, I'll invest several pretty pennies to get to doctor's appointments in town. Gas for a 12 passenger van isn't cheap.

I admitted to a friend that at this point I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. A quiet, cushy corner I can cry in with a bit of chocolate thrown in, too, might be nice. 

If the above was all I told you, you might even join me in that corner, and we'd have a grand ol' pity party together. But there's more to those stories.

1) A Day at the ER: Our nine year old son has a rash that could stay around for the next month. He has joint pain and swelling, too. He's miserable throughout the day, but there's good news, too. He was tested for rheumatoid arthritis and that came back negative. We have medicine to give him for the discomfort. His breathing hasn't been affected. And most importantly, this trial is making him more like Christ.

2) A Broken Clothes Dryer: I admit I find this very inconvenient. We do laundry every day, and I don't have a clothes line because, well, dirt blowing into drying clothes just doesn't work out well. And there's a lot of blowing dirt in my part of the desert. Still, at least my washer isn't broken, and other than figuring out how I'm going to dry all of the towels and washcloths, the rest of the clothing will do just fine hang-drying. The bonus is that there's actually money in the bank to get one of my favorite appliances repaired. 

3) There's a Bead in Your Ear: While my four year old was being evaluated for a speech delay, the pediatrician discovered she has an object in one of her ears that's completely covering the ear drum. The excavation included ear numbing drops, water flushing, and super-glue attached to a large q-tip. In the midst of this adventure, she got her shots. I prayed that entire time for God to be merciful and let that doctor get that green bead out, quickly and without much trauma. It wasn't His plan, though. 

However, His plan did include an amazingly patient daughter who handled everything like a trooper. It included a Daddy who was praying and texted, "Tell her I love her." It included another friend as well as all of her siblings who were praying, too. It included a very kind nurse and doctor, a miniature stuffed bear, two lollipops, a pack of gum, and a yellow necklace (without any snide comments about not putting the beads in her ear. :)) His plan also provided an appointment with a specialist tomorrow. And the great news is that there isn't any physical reason for her speech delay (maybe it's just the bead? Goodness, that bead would have to have been in there a long time!) which means her speech delay shouldn't be hard to correct.

4) I think I have a toothache: After getting great relief from the magic mouth wash for what seemed like a case of gingivitis, my tooth pain has returned. My dentist is soon going to mark "difficult patient" on my chart if my phone calls and visits continue. But, he's humoring me, and I'm thankful for a kind office staff that has worked me into the schedule for an x-ray. I'm thankful, at 19 weeks pregnant, I can even have a dental x-ray. I'm thankful should there be something wrong with this tooth, we might be catching it early.

5) It costs how much to make a trip to town? It's not pocket change to drive 40 miles to town for appointments...and back again. But praise God for a dependable vehicle and for gas money. Praise God for eye doctors and ear doctors and dentists who are available and for a flexible homeschooling schedule that makes everything a bit less complicated.

To top all those blessings off, God blessed me with the DELIGHT of feeling baby move today! What an indescribable gift!

Too often our eyes only see the trials come rolling in one after another. We think, "It's only Tuesday," forgetting there is something to praise Him for in the midst of every affliction, small or large, and that every affliction comes from His hand with a gracious purpose.

Few of you really need to know about my son's rash or my daughter's ear problems. Most of you aren't moved by my broken dryer story or the fact that I have a toothache. But maybe one of you is at the end of this week's rope when this week has only begun. And maybe reading of my blessings from the LORD will remind you of the truth that you'd never be able to fully count your own, even if you tried. But you should still try.

Ask for eyes wide open to see not just the afflictions, but God's provision for every one. Not only does He give us extras like chocolate-chip mint bubble gum or next-day appointments, He gives us the grace to give Him thanks and adoration and see His loving hand in every detail of our days. To God be the glory!

Much love,

Trisha