An 'Oops' Moment

Just lately things have not been going so well, my husband and I have been trying to survive a winter of difficulty that has so far ranged from financial to health problems. These kind of troubles are not intended to be fun; they have been filled with stomach-wrenching drops, dips and sudden curves and in my case, physical pain. If I didn't know better I might start to believe that this roller-coaster ride is nothing more than a random experience, that the forces that have lifted us up in the past also push us down and are the whims of some nasty fate that is singling us out. Its very humbling to have so little; little money and big bills. To keep the heat off to save the oil. To only run hot water as you absolutely need it. To keep the lights off and put your washing on the line in winter to dry. Geez, sounds like something out of a third world country doesn't it!  Poverty isn't limited to certain countries in the world, its a global infection and we have found ourselves there now. This winter has hit us hard. How many of you out there are experiencing the same?  I wonder. 

There are two things that get me through my day: the Lord and His advice and my cats. When things get too much to bare my four are there as, I almost said silent, comfort but in reality they are pretty chatty and demanding of my care of them. At other times, they sense my mild depression or my husband's and they come quietly to nestle against us, curling up to sleep on one lap or the other. Molly has this endearing quality about her, she will come and lay the top of her head against you and ask to be petted!

This is the message the Lord gave me today:
Just In Time
May the God you serve all the time save you!  Daniel 6:16


Look at Jonah in the fish belly - surrounded by gastric juices and sucked-in seaweed... He prays... Before he can say amen the belly convulses, the fish belches and Jonah lands face first on the beach. (Doesn't life make you feel like that sometimes.) Look at Daniel in the lions' den; his prospects aren't much better then Jonah's. Jonah had been swallowed and Daniel is about to be...
Or look at Joseph in the pit, a chalky hole in a hot desert. The lid has been pulled over the top and the wool has been pulled over his eyes... Like Jonah and Daniel, Joseph is trapped. He is out of options. There is no exit. There is no hope... Though the road to the palace takes a detour through a prison, it eventually ends up at the throne... of Egypt.
Such are the stories in the Bible. One near-death experience after another. Just when the neck is on the chopping block, just when the nose is around the neck, Calvary comes to save the day!


This comes from today's reading in my Grace For The Moment by Max Lucado book. Another book I am reading that has literally saved my bacon in the sense that it has successfully lifted up my hope is The Upside Of Down, Finding HOPE When It HURTS by Joseph M. Stowell.
Aside from books like these and the Bible, Proverbs 18 today, they are what keep me going. These and the cats the Lord has entrusted us with. I hope everyone who takes the time out of their own busy days to come and read my humble blog will take something uplifting and encouraging with them. Life isn't always about the happiness our pets bring us and we have to find ways to cope with the down times as well. I have finally learned not to cope using my old 'oops' system of depression and anger. This is a down time for me right now; in sharing how I've learned to cope I hope I've helped you. 


Thank you for reading my blog.


Catspaw