Life’s Lemonade Lessons

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I am on day 14 of my second battle with viral spinal meningitis. Yeah, you read it correctly. Meningitis almost killed me 15 years ago and here we are again. Fortunately, this is some other random virus which is NOT deadly. Unfortunately, I’m having a MUCH harder time battling this one. I’ll be alright, but man, this thing is doing a number on me.

Last week, I spent 5 days quarantined in the hospital. I don’t remember most of it because I was in pretty bad shape. I mean there is at least one person who visited me that I barely remember seeing.

When I was awake and with it, I wasn’t doing a whole bunch. The TV was mounted near the ceiling, making it painful to watch because of my head and neck pain. So I spent a lot of time thinking. And observing. And praying. And reflecting.

For whatever reason, I haven’t spent a whole lot of time feeling sorry for myself. Trust me, I’ve had my moments, but I’ve just been so overwhelmed by the blessings I’m experiencing that there’s just not much room to wallow.

You know the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade?” Through this, I feel like I’ve learned a few of Life’s Lemonade Lessons that are worth sharing. So expect some posts containing my thoughts.

I will leave you with the general theme of my Lemonade Lessons: Every situation you are in whether they are good, bad or ugly are opportunities for God to grow you into the person He wants you to be. And I think most of us would agree that if He wants you to learn something, He will keep giving you opportunities to learn it. So to make life easier, do your best to learn the lesson the first time. (And NEVER pray for patience. Trust me, He can come up with endless opportunities for you to get it.)

I hope you are enjoying today’s blessings!

Are you one of us?

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A friend of mine and I have been talking about how there seems to be a cloud of depression covering a lot of people we know… ourselves included. It’s not surprising considering the state of our world globally, nationally and locally. And personally, we have entered into the stage of life where death and looming death are prominent. Add to that, other difficult everyday situations and you’ve got a breeding ground for the blues. And guess who couldn’t be happier…

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12

I mean really, is there a better way to win a spiritual battle than to make people question their sanity, to make them not be able to function and to make them question their worth? Oh. My. Goodness! GET BEHIND ME satan!

In our desperation, my friend and I decided to hold one another accountable in fighting against it. Here are some of the things we are going to attempt to do:

• Cry out to Jesus in prayer throughout the day. I’m not talking about anything fancy here, folks. I literally mean, “Jesus, help me please!” We have to redirect our thoughts to God if we want to truly conquer this. And the only One who can actually fight this battle for us is Jesus. 

• Stop making “To Do” lists and start making “I Got It Done” lists. We have to focus on the successes, NOT the failures.

• Focus on the day’s blessings rather than ruminating on what’s wrong in our lives and the world.

• Stop trying to fix anyone else. We have to focus on what God is trying to accomplish in us.

I’m sure there will be more, but that’s where I’m starting. And after a little bit of wrestling with God about it, I think I’m supposed to share those struggles and wins with you. So you can expect little posts about this battle I’m in. For example:

This morning, I got up, put on my makeup and fixed my hair. However, the thought of brushing my teeth was overwhelming. Gross, I know. Especially gross for someone who has some severe germ issues. Thankfully, I remembered my conversation with my friend yesterday. With that, I forged ahead and brushed my teeth. It sounds so ridiculous as I write this, but I literally had to convince myself to brush my teeth. Considering the spiritual battle we are fighting, it makes perfect sense. I mean, can you imagine how I would have beaten myself up all day if I hadn’t done it? I can.

Are you one of us? Are you fighting a cloud of depression? Do you want to join us in tackling the root of the problem? I hope you’ll join us as we battle “the spiritual forces of evil” and delight in our identity in Christ.

Something Uncomfortable: Day 101

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Today, I am struggling. The last two weeks have been rough physically, emotionally and spiritually. I have my non-period (I had a uterine ablation, so I have a cycle with less bleeding. Sorry, I digress.) And some of our closest friends and their 2 kids are coming on Saturday to stay with us for a week. (I am super excited that they are coming, but I’m nervous. The last time they were here, I literally had a nervous breakdown. I know it will be fabulous, but I’m terrible at worrying about stuff before it happens, especially when I’m struggling.)

I just realized that (I’m writing a bunch of rabbit trails in parentheses.) Sorry :/

ANYWAY… all I want to do is climb into bed and watch Prison Break on Netflix. But I’m not letting myself… and that’s uncomfortable.

This is my To Do List:

Today was actually yesterday and tomorrow is actually today.

Today was actually yesterday and tomorrow is actually today. And nothing was crossed off until moments before we left for school this morning. My son asked if we were going to cut his hair before we left. I thought we should. We had time, so why not cross something off that pesky list? I busted out the Flowbee (yes, I’m serious) and I went to work.

Don't judge... It's saves us a ton of money and it gives a perfect short haircut every time.

Somehow, I’m going to keep crossing stuff all day. Ugh!

What do you do to stay on track when you are struggling?