my horrible no good very bad day week ~ PART 2

Hey friends!

Thank you so much for all of your encouraging comments after I shared about my horrible no good very bad day week. (I am so sorry many of you could relate!).

After reading all of your comments, I don't think I could ever eat bagged lettuce again ~ no matter how many free coupons they send me....

In my last post, I shared vaguely about the horrible week I was having. Trust me ~ it was one of those weeks where I wonder if I'm doing anything right...especially as a mom.

Have you been there before??

After a horrible incident at school, I ran into the grocery store quickly. Everything in me wanted to numb my pain and discomfort with something.

Anything.

Diet Coke.

Chips and salsa.

A latte from Starbucks.

Not that any of those are bad things, right? Just in my case, at that moment, I knew I was craving those false comforts BIG TIME like an alcoholic craves their next drink.

And no matter how much Diet Coke I drank, or how yummy my latte was, it would not take away the fear, pain, hurt, and loneliness I was feeling.

As I put my Starbucks gift card away (shoot!), I thought of a MOPS message I've shared many times before, based on Proverbs 18:10 ~ "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe."

I knew I had a choice. I could "run" (to sin), or I could remember what I've learned and obey. Thankfully, I made the better choice.

What I've learned is that when stress, fears, troubles, and/or worries are "chasing us", we can run to the Strong Tower by....

S ~ Stop

So last week on my horrible no good very bad day, I stopped right there in the grocery store and made a pre-determined decision that I would not numb out how I was feeling ~ no matter how yucky and overwhelming it was. I would stop.

A ~ Acknowledge my need for God

Trust me, with a "past" like I have, I don't go one day without knowing how much I desperately need God. But last week, right there in the grocery store by the Starbucks counter, I looked up to the heavens and asked God to help me in this icky, hurtful state I was in.

F ~ Fill your heart and mind with Truth

I began to think about who God says that I am. He doesn't say I am fat, or a horrible mom, or not good at anything. God is not an evil task master Who tells me to work harder, or to stop making a mess of everything, or hurry up and respond to all of the e-mails.

As I drove home (without a latte or Diet Coke), I went through the list from A to Z....

A - I am Accepted just the way that I am

B - I am Beautiful (regardless of the size of my pants)

C - I am Chosen (handpicked by God ~ that's pretty significant and special, don't you think?!)

D - I am Delievered (God delivered me from a cocaine addiction in 1996, certainly He can free me from the grip of soft drinks!)

You get the idea.... Trust me, I started feeling much better real soon ~ it's amazing what God's Truth can do!

And lastly, in my SAFE message, I share....

E - Expect God to Show Up

OK, I'll be honest...I thought God showed up by helping me not give into my temptations. I thought the victory came when I bypassed my "lesser gods" and came home empty handed.

God also showed up when He helped renew my mind with the Truth of who He says I am. I wasn't expecting more....

(But isn't it just like God to go above and beyond and do immeasurably more...)

Imagine my surprise when I walked to my mailbox and found a special package from a very dear friend!

And what was in the package?? TRUTH just for me!! :)

First, there were personalized verse cards....



Can you read the first one? This is the first card I read. It says...

"Cindy, when things are difficult, don't trust the circumstances as you seem them. Trust in the Lord wholeheartedly and seek Him. He will guide you onto the right path." (Amen??!)

My special package also included a personalized spiral of verses....


Isn't that awesome?? My special friend Darlene had made all of this just for me. Wow. And isn't God's timing perfect???

I don't know what difficult circumstances you are going through this week, my sweet friend.

I do know this ~ life is hard. Marriage is hard. This economy is hard. Parenting is hard. Being home with a house full of kids on snow days is hard. What's going on in Egypt is hard. Depression is hard. We could go on and on, couldn't we???

BUT (and this is a BIG but)....God is good and He does know what He is doing!! Of this I am sure.
May I please gently remind you....when everything in you wants to run to something, anything.....head for the Strong Tower! Our God is so faithful, and He will show up in a special and unique way ~ just for you! (And I'd love to hear ALL ABOUT IT!)

Thanks for stopping by *She Sparkles*! May your week be filled with many special "winks" from your Heavenly Father Who thinks you are so very special...just the way that you are!!!

Sweet blessings to you~



P.S. Sneak peek to tomorrow's post ~ Darlene would like to make some verse cards for some *She Sparkles* readers!! Can I get a Woo Hoo?? :) More details coming soon...