Day 536: God Takes Care Of My Laundry

Today, I want to start with the verse cause it is… great.

It was one of those verses where I had written down the reference several weeks back next to the word “helped” but didn’t really know much about it aside from that, but then I pulled it up today on my phone and took in a deep, sharp breath and said, “Oh yeah. THAT is good stuff.”

POSITIVITY: I am helped.

The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads. Psalms 145:14 NLT

God gives a hand to those down on their luck, gives a fresh start to those ready to quit. Psalms 145:14 MSG

I read it originally in the NLT cause that’s my favorite “light reading” version of the bible and I just snapped back from the words.

Fallen.

So often I feel… fallen. imperfect. not good enough. And this verse tells me… God helps those kinds of people. This kind of person.

Then when I kept reading that “He lifts those bent beneath their loads”… wow. I immediately was like, “Uhhhhhhhh, that’s me.” Instantly it was like I could feel Him pulling my soul a bit more out of the pit. Just from reading those words.

Loads of guilt.
Loads of worry.
Loads of insecurities.

And well, let’s not forget…

Loads of laundry.

Loads and loads and loads of laundry.

I even showed you a picture of my laundry above (and honestly, that doesn’t include the two hampers that are full right now, too) to prove how much of a load I’m under and so I could stop any (slim, slim, slim) changes of you having “instagram envy“.

So when I came to write this post I thought that I’d hop on over to the Message translation just for giggles and I loved it too, especially the last: “gives a fresh start to those ready to quit.”

I think time and time again I have been ready to quit, and even though I often muddle on, I don’t think that I think of it as a “fresh start”, but that’s what it is. He allows me to start over again and again and again.

AND He helps through all of my stumbles.

Wow.

That’s one rad God, if I do say so myself.

Now, if I went in to my utility room after posting this and I find that all of my loads and loads and loads of laundry have been done for me by my Heavenly Father? Well, let’s just say I’ll be purty dern convinced that Jesus has returned cause that would be nothing short of Heaven on Earth.

PRAYER:

God. When I just THINK of all of the times I’ve been down in the pit. that I’ve fallen. that I’ve willingly gone down into the pit. that I’ve been out of luck. weighed down. ready to quit. and THEN I think of all those times that you’ve lifted me up? Wow. Why would I do anything but follow you? Why would I ever end up in a pit again?

I dunno.

But I know that right now I am just relishing in how good and faithful you are to me.

Thank you for the many times you have lifted me up. thank you for the many times you will lift me up in the future. You are… just so amazing. Keep me remembering that You lift me up. hold me. care for me. adore me.

Amen.

Day 534: Cookie Dough Doesn’t Care

I remember this one time when I was teaching and one of the school board members had a son in my class. His son was failing… badly. He just wasn’t doing work. Nothing out of the ordinary for a high school boy… many of them go through this “phase”. Anyway, the dad started to just go after me in emails that were CCed to the superintendent… it was my fault and all that. And unfortunately he said some really mean things to me: that I didn’t care about my students, that I obviously wasn’t teaching the kids, that I was just giving the kids busy work.

Now, I was one of those teachers that took feedback very seriously. Because, whether any of those things were true or false, it didn’t matter. Perception is reality. And I knew I was teaching the kids. I knew I wasn’t giving them busy work (heck, I didn’t even GIVE homework). Above all of that though, I KNEW that I loved and cared for my students. I mean… just look at the pic above from our Staff vs. Student Volleyball game. Who would dress like that AND fro their hair out AND run around playing volleyball if they didn’t care about the kids?!?!

Oh man… this all just ripped me up inside.

I would have full blown conversations with this gentleman in the solace of my car… things that I WISHED I could say to him but never would. I was sick over it.

The kind of sick you feel when you have the stomach bug… that feeling was in my stomach all. day. long.

Only, what did I do? Did I stop eating because my stomach felt funny?

Nope.

I ate MORE because my stomach felt funny. And food was my comfort.

And I can still remember that I got to the point one day where I, out of desperation, just prayed: God. Please work this out. Give me the guidance to know what to do in order to just make this end peaceably.

Well, I got to school and there was a reply email from the superintendent basically asking “Hey… I believe in you. Just tell me what’s going on here.”

It was like God.

Ya know… the food I was eating couldn’t make that situation dissolve. It couldn’t soothe the emotions of those worried parents. All it could do was make me fatter and sicker.

But God… well, He was Johnny on the SPOT!

I gave my worries and cares to Him and He took care of it. Know why? Cause he CARES about what happens to me.

That brownie. That cookie dough. Those chips.

They don’t care.

POSITIVITY: I am carefree.

Give all your worries and cares to God, because he cares about what happens to you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

PRAYER:

God, Thank you for taking all these burdens that I tend to carry on my own. I love that I can rely on You to watch over me… to be concerned about my little daily life.

Help me to remember over these days and weeks that You want to deal with my stressful situations. Help me to come to you whenever I have some kind of issues that worries my soul. Help me to see a brownie or cookie dough or chips and to think of YOU instead of the non-help that they offer.

You are my help.

Amen!