I ironed his clothes. I ironed theirs. I ironed mine.

I made breakfast, skipped the shower, dressed and fed the little people in the house and pulled together a snack for a hungry crowd of fellowshippers.

I planned Sunday School, read over the sermon and encouraged him.

I got up REAL early but I was STILL behind. I had caused my husband to be later than he’d like.  

After almost two years of being a pastor’s wife, I have it ALMOST down to  a science on being able to get it all together on Sunday morning…just me…on time.

That feeling crept back and I could feel the sting.  A sting of anger.  But not at others…ME.  I needed to be encouraged to keep going in love but there was nobody available right at that moment who was in a place to be able to know where I was emotionally and spiritually and to be able to provide what I needed.

My husband would do anything for me…but I didn’t want him to have to deal with where I am was spiritually just before preaching.  He needed spiritual protection too.

Have you found yourself in a place where you just long for someone to tell you that you’re doing OK?

Sometimes it’s just an everyday moment like this that needs a word…

to keep going as a parent, spouse, worker, child of God.

Are there ever moments for you that are just plain hard and you need a word from someone…but that person is not available?

I have the best friends who have walked through fire with me…but sometimes…they are not with me physically in the heat of the moment.  That crucial moment when I need a rock to lean on.

It was just one dark moment.  One of those moments when Satan can sneak in and attempt to gain a stronghold. It was primetime for him…Sunday morning.  This is not how I always feel but it was a moment when I allowed my mind to be filled with all sorts of thoughts that were not necessarily true and were not noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable or praisworthy (Philippians 4:8).  A moment when I had no one to turn to…

unless I turned to God.

On the way out the door, the Lord spoke to my heart because I didn’t have the mind to speak to my own.  The Holy Spirit impressed upon me, as He had been doing lately, to not hope for human encouragement or evaluation but to think of the Lord’s encouragement and to think eternally.  To think upon His eternal purposes.

We had thought the night before that church could be called off due to a pending winter storm.  The weatherman, news channels and all of my friends on Facebook were bracing for a winter storm and an unwanted layer of ice.  But now the roads were clear and we were definitely heading to church.  A bit behind, but on the road and with new hope, I drove down the highway. 

And there it was…ice everywhere but none on the road.  The trees and grass looked as if they were covered with glass…and my heart shattered.  How silly I had been! 

For even this unwanted unencouraged ice was beautiful! This water from heaven came in the midst of human lament against it, but it was one of the Lord’s wondrous works in my eyes as I sped down the road.

It became clear to me in that moment just how beautiful we are to God in those moments when we don’t feel beautiful by human standards. In the absence of human encouragement, He is there and He sees.  And when we turn to Him and His ways instead of staying or turning away, we are beautiful to Him. How hard it can be when our mind is filled with untrue and unlovely thoughts.  In one turning step though, we have the ability to turn towards Him to be encouraged and to turn away from the ugly.

“And who is the Rock except You, our God?” Psalm 18:31

Have you had one of those moments recently when you were encouraged by God?  I love comments and sharing…

Linking up with these awsome bloggers today…

picture taken off of the internet from the site: alloveralbany.com