Drip, Drip, Drip....

You know that terrible, annoying sound? You've finally crawled into bed at night, laid your head upon your pillow, closed your eyes, ready to sleep, only to find, your spouse left the water on just enough to create that "drip, drip, drip" noise.

I had a bit of "drippy" day yesterday. My family has been sick, and I've been annoyed at how much I've been having to do for them to care for them while being sick myself. Lets just say my attitude was less than pleasant, and my heart less than pure as I walked around my house being that "drip" in my husband's ear.

"ironically" the Lord led me in my quiet time to Proverbs 27, and I should've known that when I came to Him with my stinky attitude, He'd want to adjust it. And no sooner did my eyes fall upon this verse I realized my folly:

"A quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping on a rainy day..restraining her is like restraining the wind, or grasping oil with the hand.." vs.15

and:

" As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man." vs19

Two things to take away here...when I am acting with the heart of a quarrelsome wife as I was all day yesterday, it reeks havoc on my life, my husbands life, and the joy of my home. When the verse speaks of "restraining" her, it's not the "wild, free heart" that you first think of, it's a drip of a faucet that rings annoyance into your life, and chaos into your home.

And, as I walk around my house, stomping, and complaining to myself about "how bad I've got it.." the evil that's in my heart is reflected on my face.

To drive my point home let me tell you what my four year old said to me yesterday in the midst of my little tempter tantrum/pity party for myself... "Mom, make a happy face, not a sad face..."

Doesn't that just break your heart? Now I know we all have bad days, but it's all about where we run to when we have bad days, all day yesterday, I ran to myself...and listened to the lies of the enemy that were so easy to believe. I lived in that funk for quite some time and made myself, and my family quite miserable. My children had a terrible day yesterday, and so did I.

Now, what do we do when we are tempted to respond the way I DID yesterday? What ought we to do? RUN to the WORD OF GOD. Open your Bible, and wait, and watch as the refreshment of the Lord pours down on you. I only had to get 2 verses into my first chapter of His words before the comfort of the Lord poured down upon me.

Isaiah 46:4

"I AM HE, I AM HE WHO WILL SUSTAIN YOU! I have made you, and I will carry you. I will sustain you and I will rescue you."

A couple big things in this verse: whenever He uses repetition, it's to drive home a point, and whenever He uses the "I am" term, it's to show His authority. He HAS the authority to sustain us, because He made us, He knows us, and He has the power to carry us.

Anyone feeling better? Anyone feeling more empowered and encouraged? I AM!

Yesterday as I walked about my day in my stinky attitude clothes, I left an unpleasant fragrance wherever I walked. That does not have to be the case. God knows that we are not perfect, and He does not expect us to behave perfectly all the time, but He gives us an opportunity to lean on Him, and gain strength from Him so that when those stinky situations in life arise (that most certainly will) we have more strength, and we are sustained by Him in a way that we could not be on our own.

God knew I was troubled yesterday, He knew I was worn out. He knew I needed encouragement, and so He met me, RIGHT WHERE I WAS AT. And that is what He does for each and every one of His children...who of you is feeling down today? who of you are feeling burdened by life's troubles? Who of you need to feel the warmth of His embrace? Who of you long to be held, to be cradled as a child in it's mother's arms? Lay your head upon His chest, listen to His strong heart beat, and let Him, let Him comfort you. So that we no longer "drip" through our pain, instead we are refreshed by Him, and in turn, refresh others as a big long drink of fresh crisp water does on a hot day. He is water to our dry and thirsty souls. Drink deep today, instead of dripping.