All of eternity is in My hands

This morning I was lying in bed going over everything I wanted to do in my mind. I thought a lot about the article and some artwork I'd like to do to go along with it, praying about the ideas and asking for help. After awhile I was suddenly struck with guilt over the fact that I hadn't gotten my kids up yet. Then the pressures of the day dropped on me like a lead cloud and I felt bewildered.

I decided that I just couldn't get up without spending a moment in prayer about the day, so I began in the Lord's prayer, trying to quiet my heart before Him and sincerely ask that His will would be done on earth. I don't remember how far I got into the prayer, but all of a sudden the pressure I was feeling dissipated. He seemed to say to me All of eternity is in My hands. I was overcome with a sense of perfect peace, like it was downright absurd for me to feel pressure or stress about anything. "But Lord," I asked, "I know that there are some things that You won't do unless we ask You to. How much do I need to pray about, and how much will You just do?" Immediately I got a response. Talk to Me about everything. Every desire, thought, fear. He wants me to share my whole life with Him, at every moment. And since I know that He hears everything I say to Him, I can also be fully confident that He is caring for every concern of mine, down to the tiniest detail.

Share, rejoice, listen. Share, rejoice, listen. Share, rejoice, listen. I'm so thankful for His answer today!

Before I even asked...

Yesterday it seemed like nothing was going right. Ellie and several of her belongings had already required a bath before noon, and William had been grumpy and difficult all morning. I wanted to work on a magazine article I've been feeling called to write, but it didn't look like there would ever be peace or time to think about it, let alone write and refine it.

I sat down on the floor next William (who was having another of his fits) and wondered to myself why God would allow all of these things to go wrong if I was supposed to be writing. Then something funny happened. Rather than being annoyed at William, I was suddenly full of compassion. "What is it, sweetie? What's frustrating you so much?" He thumped his hand angrily on the floor in response. "Mommy wants you to have a good day today. Just tell me why you're unhappy and I'll see if I can make it better." All the while I was talking, I felt like God was actually talking to ME with the same words. I realized that I had never asked Him to intervene in the day. I just assumed He was somehow testing me.

After that, in my heart, I told the Lord that I really wanted to write. And suddenly events started aligning themselves so that I would have a few hours alone to focus. It was kind of jaw-dropping to watch. I walked out of the room and Kurt offered to take William shopping. Ellie was asleep. The boys watched TV for a bit while we ate lunch, and during that lull I was able to think. By the time they left, my mind was ordered and I was ready to sit down and write. (I got an outline together that I feel good about. It was fantastic!)

Writing this, I can't believe how quickly I forget that God and I are in a relationship. He wants me to share my thoughts and feelings and desires with Him, to ask for help. So today's goal: TALK to Him about what's wrong.