Battles

We all are not given any guarantees in life. Trials and battles have been an ever present part of my life. Battling with my mother over English peas, was one. If you put a pile of those things on my plate.... You can bet your sweet bippy the only way they will come off of that plate is by scraping them in the garbage can untouched. I don't mind them in a soup or casserole, but alone... Just sitting there... round and green... staring at me like a bunch of beady eyes... yuck!

Some of my most prolific battles were with my two beautiful, intelligent and stubborn offspring.
My son...
He has tested me from day one. He is reactionary, so if I reacted, he reacted.

 With. Every. Thing. He. Could. Muster. 

In order to get it done, just get it over with, I learned that grocery shopping with the Red Power Ranger in cowboy boots, ain't so bad! I chose my battles with him and learned to let go of a lot. 

Or when my beautiful daughter needed a Barbie on almost every trip to Walmart. She wasn't a fit pitcher like her brother, but she was really good at making me pay for my transgression. Until I met her, I wasn't aware a four year old could give the silent treatment for literally days!!

These were battles of will. We all experience them. I look back on the turmoil of raising my babies and just laugh. I love to tell new moms not to sweat the small stuff! Eventually, it passes. We battle other things like depression, stress, unhappiness, fear, insecurity and anger. I believe that our biggest battles are with ourselves, which usually manifest themselves into battles with others. 

These days I would gladly trade those earlier battles for the ones I have today. I feel like a tennis ball at Wimbledon. Federer and Nadal are smacking me back and forth at 100mph! 

Back and forth...hope and fear.

Back and forth...peace and turmoil. 

What's going to happen? Will all the prayers work? Is the faith of my friends enough? Is my faith enough? What are His plans? How do I know for sure?

Back and forth. 

This morning I was reading Acts 14. Paul had healed a crippled man. The Jews of Antioch and Iconium had stoned him and thought he was dead. But the Disciples gathered around him and he arose and left the city. Later on he said in verse 22, "We must go through many tribulations to enter the Kingdom of God."

That struck a chord with me. I, in no way, compare myself to Paul and the disciples and all they went through. But I think this verse is applicable to us all. We aren't guaranteed a battle-free or tribulation-free life. We have never been told there won't be hard times, scary times or times that bring us to our wit's end.

The wonderful news is, we are promised we won't go it alone. We are precious and we are valued and even in the darkest and craziest of times... He is ever present and we are incredibly important to Him. Stuff happens, no doubt. But I honestly think the ultimate goal for God is to see how we react to it. 

I can be really mad... In fact I have had some anger issues over stuff lately... But if we call on Jesus and give him our anger and doubt and fear... He will reassure us through peace that transcends all understanding. 

So who will you take into battle with you? Satan? With all of his lies, malice and fear mongering? Or Jesus? With all of his truth, and peace and joy? I choose Jesus. 

Exodus 14:14

"The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."

Monica