Keeping it Real

Yesterday was hard.

We are coming off a nearly 3 week vacation and back to the reality of life in South Carolina.

We were welcomed home by the smell of rotting potatoes (oops) and fire ant invasion in our kitchen. Our air conditioner was not working properly either, but THANK THE LORD started up finally and we had some cool air before the night was through.

With the ants taking over the kitchen, my oven sitting somewhere in the middle of the room (so we can track where the ants are coming from) and all the crap from packed bags overflowing with dirty laundry, toys, and other odds and ends from the last few weeks, my life feels a little crazy.

The kids were pushing my buttons. Throwing fits at every turn and I was not going to have it. This isn't Grandma's house anymore little people! There was a lot of disciplinary action and patience needed. Both of which I wanted to just throw to the wind and say "forget it, I'm too tired and busy."

It was a grueling day. And Seth was gone from 6:30ish in the morning until almost 9pm. So, I was on my own. Or at least that was my thought. I spent a lot of my day in a mental game of "just get through this" while gritting my teeth and wanting to scream half of the time that I was "done." But, I pushed and pushed and each hour passed (slowly, but moving in the right direction at least).

We got in the car to run some errands and I drove by a man holding a sign that said, "Jesus is Alive." Sometimes I look at those people and find myself thinking, "You can do more things for Jesus than stand in the freaking hot weather and hold a sign about him." I mean, seriously, don't people already know that, or at least if they don't then they may not really care. (I know, horrible glimpse into my thought life.) But, for some reason, when I saw the sign, my response was, "Thank you Jesus." I needed that. And if that man was standing out all day in the heat for me, then I was grateful. I was encouraged. I'm not doing this alone. Jesus is alive! He is with me. In that small moment I was encouraged and reminded of my need for Him.

I am so thankful that Jesus can send someone to stand in the heat and proclaim the truth for me. What a humbling thing to have Him reach out to my in the middle of my ugliness.