Oh dear blog, what do I write? So much has happened, where do I begin? Well, there's no way to catch up, and I'll never be inspired to write again until I just write SOMETHING. So, I'll start with yesterday.
What was so great about yesterday? Well, not much really. But a great deal was accomplished. You see, Mom and I reached a milestone of sorts. We have been so stressed out lately, truly at a breaking point. And really, no matter what we pointed to or where we put the blame, we just miss Dad... plain and simple.
However, there certainly are some things we have been doing to add to that stress. We are trying to get our house on the market, we have no choice. We must sell, and get into something even more modest and simple. Everyone tells us this is the brief window of opportunity to sell. We are trying to stage the house, everyone tells us we must help the buyer create an 'emotional attachment' to our home. We have so many voices in our ear telling us what we 'must' do, and it was about to drive me insane. We have been working like crazy and leaving precious little time for what is truly important. And after Mom lost Dad's income, all of this on top of trying to create an income out of thin air. Which makes me miss Dad more. When things got crazy he always had this gift for stepping back, assessing the whole situation, seeing it from Jehovah's standpoint and finding a reasonable solution. I can't bring Dad back, but I did realize something needed to change.
So all plans came to a screeching halt yesterday. I tried to be Dad. It took a pen, notebook and three hours of crying, but Mom and I finally found a solution. The word of the day? Reasonableness. We wrote down everything stressing us. Then we wrote down what is truly important... not what people tell us is important, but what truly is important from Jehovah's standpoint. Guess what? Our list of what was stressing us, and our list of what was truly important didn't match at all. Hmmm.... something is stinky in Funkytown! What a wake-up call that was! The solution? Reasonableness. Turn off the voices in our ear, and think spiritually. Quit relying on advice from HGTV to help us sell our house... and let Jehovah help us sell our house. Oh and that month we 'took off' from our regular service schedule to get the house ready? Big mistake! What was that about 'taste and see that Jehovah is good'? Or what about finding 'refreshment for your souls'? No wonder I am stressed out! What else did I expect? I am humbled.
As I review this post the principles all seem so elementary and simple. Things I KNOW and have applied for years, but got caught off guard. Two things I reflect on tonight: One, none of us are immune to faulty reasoning, especially me. And two? Satan loves nothing more than kicking us when we are down. I don't mean that he made me do anything. But his system is designed to peck away at us until it finds a weak spot. My sorrow was my weak spot. I hope I am sufficiently humbled to learn. And I hope I can help you to stand firm.
