So, if you've read my post from yesterday, titled The Great Coffee Debacle then you know that A.M. coffee is important to me and I woke up very much without coffee yesterday. No worries, it was a test and I went to bed knowing I recovered quicker than times of past. "Tomorrow will be a guuurreeeat day," I thought as my head hit the pillow last night. Well, a great day indeed - I woke up to coffee grinds all over the counter and yes, you guessed it - NO COFFEE. Are you kidding me???
See, Sam makes the coffee for us the night before and it's set to go off at I don't know....around five-ish each morning. So, today made morning number two that something in his processs erred. Oh....and this wasn't the only delightful little mishap of the morning. My son woke up needing to be washed off and the pup was starving. She was out of food. She finished it off last night and the words "I'll go get her more," spoken by my husband rang in my ears. Though I didn't remember him getting out last night, and certainly not this morning in a journey to retrieve puppy chow for the darling, I thought I would look in the food supply closet anyway. Nope, nothing there. So, I had a dirty kid, a hungry pup, and no coffee.
"Really, God?" I asked as I gazed at my ceiling in hopes of catching Him in a fit of laughter. Well, within five minutes (a much better record than yesterday that clocked in around an hour) I determined to make it a great day and find the humor. Based on the material I read before my eyes closed last night, I knew this morning that God was helping me to grow in the very coffee-deprived moment I was in. I decided to go to the store (which conveniently has a Starbucks inside) and get the pup some food. Before I left though, I wanted to read what today's devotional had to say. I opened my Sarah Young book and turned to today's date. Here is a portion of what I read:
See, Sam makes the coffee for us the night before and it's set to go off at I don't know....around five-ish each morning. So, today made morning number two that something in his processs erred. Oh....and this wasn't the only delightful little mishap of the morning. My son woke up needing to be washed off and the pup was starving. She was out of food. She finished it off last night and the words "I'll go get her more," spoken by my husband rang in my ears. Though I didn't remember him getting out last night, and certainly not this morning in a journey to retrieve puppy chow for the darling, I thought I would look in the food supply closet anyway. Nope, nothing there. So, I had a dirty kid, a hungry pup, and no coffee.
"Really, God?" I asked as I gazed at my ceiling in hopes of catching Him in a fit of laughter. Well, within five minutes (a much better record than yesterday that clocked in around an hour) I determined to make it a great day and find the humor. Based on the material I read before my eyes closed last night, I knew this morning that God was helping me to grow in the very coffee-deprived moment I was in. I decided to go to the store (which conveniently has a Starbucks inside) and get the pup some food. Before I left though, I wanted to read what today's devotional had to say. I opened my Sarah Young book and turned to today's date. Here is a portion of what I read:
"I am leading you along the high road, but there are descents as well as ascents. In the distance you see snow-covered peaks glistening in a brilliant sunlight. Your longing to reach those peaks is good, but you must not take the shortcuts. Your assignment is to follow Me, allowing Me to direct your path. Let the heights beckon you onward, but stay close to Me.
Learn to trust Me when things go 'wrong.' Disruptions to your routine highlight your dependence on Me. Trusting acceptance of trials brings blessings that far outweigh them all. Walk hand in hand with Me through this day. I have lovingly planned every inch of the way. Trust does not falter when the path becomes rocky and steep. Breathe deep draughts of My presence, and hold tightly to My hand. Together we can make it!"
Wow! Talk about hearing directly from God. I was instantly in a better mood, and I knew that God had led me to the devotional. My "shaping up" time was dramatically less today than it was yesterday. In other words, I stayed frustrated and annoyed for a far shorter time this morning than I did yesterday morning. In the car, I turned on the radio and smiled. Today was better than yesterday already. Plus, I had new material to use in a blog post. "Thank You, God - whatever would I write about without Your chastisement" I playfully mused. The point is - growing with God, and growing in general, is full of tests and the desired outcome is to be better today than we were yesterday, but better tomorrow than we are today. It's not about being better than someone else, it's about being better for God. It's tough to eagerly welcome the tests thrown at us because they're usually dripping with new frustrations, but the quicker we get at realizing what they're there for, the quicker we recover from frustration. I hope you all have a great day! Embrace your tests and trials - they're happening because God is on the scene helping you to grow and reach higher levels of intimacy with Him.
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