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| The second batch of beans. |
This is the busiest time of year for our house. Girly's birthday is this month. Hubby's sister's birthday is the day before. I am generally canning tomatoes on the morning of Girly's birthday & then trying to clean up all the mess before the party guests come. I try to make a really cool cake for my kiddos' birthdays. They really don't ask for an extravagant party with tons of children, so I figure I can spend 2 to 3 days building a cake. I lucked out this year. Girly only wants a cheesecake assortment from Sam's Club this year. She's a girl after my own heart.
In case you are wondering about my vacation, it went well & fast. There was only 1 major accident on the trip. My Boyo was throwing rocks up the hill, after I told him to stop or get hurt. He disregarded my opinion on the effects of gravity & got his finger smash. Other than that, it was a busy, fun time. I came back to sorting some clothes & items from my neighbor's friend's yard sale. I was completely drained that night.
The next day I started to get the dirty clothes that we amassed camping washed when a friend called & asked if I wanted to do beans. "Ummm....yeah. I'll be over in a little bit." I tried to get the children to help pick the beans with me. The girl had more fun picking fox tails, & I ended up re-picking the boy's row. 3 hours later, we got home to start snapping the beans & eating a late lunch. Sometime between 3pm. & the time Hubby came home from work, the kids were sent to their rooms for fighting & screaming.
At this point I find myself sitting at the kitchen table snapping approximately 40lbs. of beans with only 4 or 5lbs. done. This is the point where I lost control. I start completely sobbing & blubbering. I was tired. I was hopeless. I was in pain. I was defeated.
"In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears." - Psalm 18:6
"Hear my prayer, LORD, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping." - Psalm 39-12a
These words were spoken by David when he was being pursued by his enemy, King Saul his father-in-law. I know my situation was completely different. No one wanted to kill me or hurt me. The green beans weren't attacking me because they didn't want to be broken in stuffed into jars. I just reached my limit. I was done. I stopped what I was doing & asked God to help me. I asked him to give me strength to get through this next couple of moments. That's all I needed, the next few minutes.
You see, God doesn't promise us an easy road. What He does promise is His strength, if you ask.
"..so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light." - Colossians 1:10-12
My Hubby came home from work after a while & took the children down to the local food joint for supper. They came back full & happy & ready to help their distressed Mama. They worked hard for 2 hours snapping beans. After they went to bed, Hubby continued to help me with the canner & keeping me awake until the last load was sealed.
I was fatigued. I didn't have a single ounce of energy left to use. God gave me a great husband & wonderful children to help in my time despair. I woke up the next morning still tired & sore. But the good news was that I was ready to slug down a cup of coffee & take the kids to the park.
