Days 11, 12, and 13

Well, that check came at the perfect time.  On Wednesday we had to take our kids to the doctor.  Baby girl was fine...just a cold.  Big brother, though, had some kind of rhino-virus.  He had fever for several days.  He had fever this morning, even, but around 2pm I checked and he was fever-free!  I checked again around 8pm...fever-free!  I'm so glad!  He still has a runny nose, but he isn't lethargic and he's eating again!  I'm so thankful it wasn't flu.  The doctor said that this year many children are getting a mild form of flu, even if they've been vaccinated.  We prayed for him right in the doctor's office before they came in to swab for it.  He did, however, have to miss school the rest of the week.  His dad stayed with him for two days and I took off today.  It's not so easy for a teacher to take off, but I'm glad I am able to if need be.  We had a good day playing and watching movies.  My favorite thing to be is a momma!

My sweet girl!

All that to say that I didn't forget about blogging the last few days; I've just been busy wiping noses.  These last few days, I've just been praying for peace.  For some reason I've been feeling a lot of turmoil.  There are several things bothering me.  One of them is that I don't understand what is so "affordable" about the Affordable Care Act.  My husband's deductible is now $3000.  My insurance now costs me $100/month more than it did last year, and his is $200/month more.  Is it just affordable for certain people?...because I'm not seeing any benefits from it at this time. Besides that, there are things going on every day that battle for my attention.  Some things I can control, others I can't.  In my bible reading plan, this week I read Luke 21.  It really stood out to me because there is so much going on, not only in me but also in our world. 
Luke 21:9 "And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don't panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won't follow immediately."
I think these things are signs to us that the Jesus is coming.  He reminds us not to panic because we know these things have to take place in order to get us to Heaven.
Tonight I'm meditating on this verse:
John 16:33  "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."
In this chapter, Jesus is trying to tell the disciples that He will be leaving them soon and that they will be scattered.  He's trying to give them a heads up, but the disciples were honestly kinda goofy.  A lot of things Jesus told them they didn't understand and it doesn't seem like they spent a lot of time trying to understand.  Sometimes I'm just like the disciples; kinda goofy and not spending enough time trying to understand stuff Jesus tells me.  Look at John 16:33 again.  It says right there that there is no way out of trials and sorrows on earth.  But then, there's HOPE..."I have overcome the world."  Man, why do I spend so much energy on some of the stuff I do??  The same power that was in Jesus is in me.  I can overcome the world too.  I don't have to be afraid or doubt or have turmoil unless I choose to let my mind go in those directions.  I know it isn't easy to trust and have peace when it seems like things around you are all going wrong, but it is possible.  So today I will choose trust and peace because they make it a lot easier to sleep at night than fear and doubt. 

-R