Help Me!

This morning, as I was getting dressed in the dark, so as not to wake up Kyiah, I see two figures walk through my bedroom door.

"Good morning, Mommy!"  Way too early to hear those voices, no matter how cute they may be.  Way too early to see those faces, no matter how precious they may be.

But what can you do?  They're up and ready to start the day, even if you're NOT.  There's no sending them back to bed, as that would only produce weeping and wailing, which would in turn wake the sleeping baby (at least one child knows what side of 7 am to get up on)!  

And so, you put on your smile and greet the darlings with a hug and kiss, forcing yourself to say, "GOOD morning," when really in your head you are screaming, "What in the world?!  Why, WHY, are you up so early?!  Jesus, HELP ME!"

As soon as the cry for help left my lips (figuratively, seeing as how I was just yelling in my head, again not to wake the baby), I remembered what I had read yesterday in Ruth Myer's book 31 Days of Praise.  Her words had rocked me just 24 hours earlier, so why I had so quickly forgotten them.  Well, thankfully, Jesus helped me remember them, and change the tune of my cries as well.

"How often do we pray? We plead for victory when Christ is in us as our more-than-conquering life. We beg for the Holy Spirit as though He were not already indwelling in us, as though He were not yearning for our consent to fill and control us and produce His fruit in our lives. We pray for spiritual and emotional resources as though they were external bonuses. We forget that they are part of our birthright in Christ, for in Him God has blessed us with every possible spiritual blessing, with everything we need for life and godliness. We cry to the Lord to give us things we already have because He is in us. He says, "I am the bread of life, the water of life, the light of life; I am the way, I am the truth; I am the resurrection and the life; I am what you need." He wants us to reply, "Thank You, Lord, You are! You are my sufficiency this moment, this hour, this day. I'm counting on Your life in me - Your love and patience, Your gentleness and guidance and power - to meet my needs and overflow to others."

So, instead of, "Oh dear Jesus, help me!  Give me patience!  Give me strength," and sighing about the long day ahead, already admitting defeat and letting helplessness overwhelm me, I changed my cries to, "Thank You, Jesus, that You are with me, that You will give me the patience and strength and endurance I need today.  Thank You that You are working in me, that You will never leave.  Thank You that You never sleep, that You never grow weak or weary, that You're never tired, that You're never overwhelmed, but always ready for whatever the day may bring.  Thank You, thank You, thank You."

I may still be yawning and rubbing my eyes as I drink my coffee and greens (thinking I might have to double up on both today), BUT at least my heart is full.  I was feeling drained and empty before the day had really even begun, but as my focus shifted from despair to gratitude, I was filled with a supernatural power and strength and joy.  I will have to keep reminding myself throughout the day, minute by minute, that the Holy Spirit is dwelling within me, that He never leaves, and that He not only will give me all that I need to live for Him but that He already has!

2 Peter 1:3-4, 
"By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires."

God hasn't done this just for me, but for YOU too!!!  I don't know what your morning has looked like so far or what the day ahead may hold for you.  That doesn't really matter.  Regardless of our situation, we NEED Jesus, and thankfully, we HAVE Him -- ALL of Him, IN us, working to accomplish HIS good plans and purposes, to make us more like Him...and best of all, "to make me a joy to Him in new ways."  How cool is that - did you see it?  God DELIGHTS in us.  That right there should brighten your day!

With this in mind, instead of constantly pleading for help, let's join together and cry out to God today, all day long, "THANK YOU!"