In a Little While

Happy Sabbath,

I had a challenging week, but I am here.  I am alive.  I am home and for that I am thankful.  I had all sorts of difficulties this week at work, home, and even with church.  One particularly stressful item is my financial state.  I am in trouble and had on my heart and in my prayers this topic throughout the week.  I believe the Lord spoke to my situation today during Sabbath school and even during a seminar held after the divine hour message.  The person who didn’t know he would leading out Sabbath school decided to bring up something that was on his heart.  He said that there were people who are poor and come to church expecting church to cover their issues.  They expect handouts and another person said there was a woman they knew who had a list of different issues she was dealing with and this woman thought she was supposed to receive payments from the church because of her state.  We can pray and pray for windfall and we may get say a million dollars but that won’t last for long for most people.  Find something you can do.  The word of God says that

Genesis 3:19 (KJV) In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 says: For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

My mother gave me some money and I am thankful for it, but I know that I cannot sit around and whine and complain that I’m in trouble and need help.  God gave me skills and abilities.  I’m going to have to sweat a little more.  I’m going to have to get a part time job.  I picked up another application and a church sister who works at the nursing home the church and I go to was telling me about opportunities available.  I picked up an application before but decided not to turn it and looked at Amazon and other places that played games with me.  I can no longer sit around and wait for another check to come in the mail or a family member/friend to help me out.  So I have work to do next week.  It’s more important to teach people how to fish than to keep giving out fish until you yourself run out.  I can get another job with the Lord’s help and it will be done.  I was bummed because I worked pretty much a full quarter.  I worked for a bonus of 1k and last week somehow, I made a small mistake and I don’t know if that small mistake is going to cost me that 1k.  I believe it is.  I have had a perfect record for the past two out of four years and some how despite my frequent system checks, a mistake still managed to get through.  I really needed that money and now I have to work harder and wait yet another quarter.  I’ll find out if they will be merciful and give me the 1k because I really REALLY worked hard for it.

I was driving my son home on Tuesday and saw one of a church sister’s son’s playing outside in their yard.  I didn’t know if she was home but had hoped she was so I turned around and decided to bring my son over for an unannounced playdate.  I arrived to find children unsupervised running outside without shoes on.  My son ran in their home so I had to go in and get him.  I waited in the living room with one of her teenage daughters until she arrived home and what I observed over the next three hours of me being there troubled me.  My son by the end of it had picked up a dead squirrel with his hand, I was covered in mosquito bites, a cat was being chased through the house by nerf gun totting children, and dysfunction was every where.  I saw a mother who had no energy or interest in being a parent to her children.  I saw responsibility being put on other young children (despite teens being around) to change the diaper of a barely two year old.  There were other things but I won’t speak about them here.  I am no better than her.  Perhaps if I had as many children as she had, I would feel and respond the same way.  This just goes to show you that you don’t know what someone else is really going through. 

My son of course was sick that night with asthma and had a rash on his face (probably from touching his face with contaminated dead squirrel fingers).  He recovered in time for school the next day but behaviors he picked up from that visit continued through the rest of the week.  I didn’t tell my mother what I saw, just that he picked up a squirrel and there were nerf guns and my mother warned me about exposing my son to some people. Then I saw a bible verse (verse for the day) that hung around in my head for a little bit (by their fruits, you will know them).

Today, chaos erupted with my son being around her children.  They are sweet children, really, but some things they are learning and behaviors that are being reinforced at home are problematic for my son’s well being.  I had to separate him at least twice throughout the day.  We went to nursing home and I was surprised when a different parent came up to me and asked me about play-dates.  I thought she had talked with the other parent of those children but it turns out she did not. Her daughter is four and has the maturity of a forty year old.  She is a wonderful influence to my son and I would love my son to be around them. 

My mother is okay as far as her thyroid.  They waited long enough to announce that the mass they saw in her throat is benign.  A huge weight is lifted off my mother’s shoulders, but she still needs prayer for many other health related things. 

It was a difficult week but God will not give us too much that we cannot handle.  I am thankful for the small victories and the big ones (my mom’s thyroid) and for enough money to make it through to my next pay period.  I thank God for this week and that I can leave this week behind and walk into the new one encouraged. Now I'm going to go practice playing a song by Amy Grant, In a Little While.  If you have not heard it, you should.  Go to youtube and play it.  I hope it encourages you as it encouraged me. 

Happy Sabbath and new week to you.