It's NOT all about ME!!!

Though I want it to be all about me, I quickly realized in the middle of the night Saturday, that my coveted Mother's Day was not going to happen the way I saw it play out in my head! My visions of sleeping in, breakfast in bed, Church with my new pretty necklace, lunch at my favorite country cooking restaurant...everyone basically serving ME on MY mother's day. Instead, our night started out with getting the kids in bed WAY late due to our spontaneous trip to Atlanta, meaning we didn't get in bed til midnight, Joe waking up at 2 a.m. with an excruciating tooth ache, loud thunder that woke Madeline up around the 5 o' clock hour, to sounds of the tornado warning blaring outside. I quickly got Joe up and we turned the news on. Sure enough, the tornado that came through was headed straight for us! The weather man named the street we lived off of and panic set in. We each rushed to get a child and proceeded to huddle in the hallway. I was so SCARED! I haven't felt those feelings in a very long time. I was praying the whole time that the Lord would calm the kids seeing as how they had just gotten yanked out of their cozy beds. Amazingly enough, they were pretty calm. It was a challenge to remain calm ourselves in order to not scare them.

On our way to and from Atlanta, Joe and I listened to two John Piper sermons. One was on parenting that was his Father's Day tribute to his dad. You MUST listen to it! It was wonderful. We were so encouraged and convicted on many levels. One thing that stuck out to me while driving home that night was when Piper shared that his dad would tell them "it's not about the Piper family, it's not about what we can get out of life. It's about how the Piper family can best glorify God." He also challenged us to speak and claim the promises of God to our children.

Fast forward to sitting in the dark hallway while the storm is pounding down around us... Through my fear of what was about to happen, that our lives could possibly be changed in the next instant, Joe was calling out the promises of God to me and our children. I knew that if the tornado hit us, that God was still worthy of our trust.

God spared us that night. We could hear it coming, but nothing happened to us or our house. I was so thankful that God, in his mercy, had protected our family. My worst fears were not realized that night. I was renewed in my faith that when the storms of life do come, that God is still Almighty God and He is good and worthy of our trust.

I wish I could say that lesson learned stuck with me throughout my day. As we all climbed out of the bathtub (we moved in there after the hallway) I thought to myself, change your expectations of this Mother's Day! Joe had an abscessed tooth that needed a root canal on Monday morning. His poor lip was so swollen and his pain medicine wasn't even taking the edge off. Suffice it to say, he needed the TLC, not me! As everyone was napping, Maddie and I were in the kitchen cleaning the dishes. As I was preparing to cook lunch and get dinner in the crock pot, all on MY mother's day, when i fully expected to NOT lift a finger, God gently reminded me AGAIN, that it is NOT all about me!!! On that day, how could I best glorify God? I could serve my sick husband and care for my children. I was blessed to be safe with all my family and all my stuff that morning. I am so thankful that God will never give up on me. Thankful that He encourages me to speak to my soul and tell myself the Truth of His bountiful grace.

Faith alone in Christ alone.