30 Days of Proverbs: November 15th

November 15, 2017
Proverbs 15: God Sees Us All

"All the days of the afflicted are bad,
But a cheerful heart has a continual feast."
Proverbs 15:15

We're currently hip deep in a stomach virus epidemic so reading past this verse this morning was SUPER ironic. I've got a puke bucket on my living room floor, a quarantine ward set up on our love seat and my washer hasn't stopped running poop/puke clothes since Sunday. And Solomon is telling me I'm supposed to be all up in my "continual feast" with all this? Whaaa?? With all his wives and concubines I'm pretty sure he was never the one up through the night with a sick kid. 

But here's the deal: I kind of am happy. I really am. I mean, don't get me wrong- stomach bugs are the PITS. Cleaning up somebody else's body fluids is crazy humbling. But as I've trudged through this week with my brood of sick chickens, it's actually not been that hard to be positive. (Most of the time. 2:47am found me stretching to find my joy. Bless it.) 

When the kids cry for me in the middle of the night and I find myself encountering a bed full of undigested supper- I'm relieved that I've got a laundry room full of magical appliances that will literally clean up the mess FOR me. (After I rinse the chunks out in the backyard. Eww.) It's like having my own personal Whirlpool Fairy Godmother. Hallelujah. Warm, clean blankets are a balm to the soul. 

When somebody wakes up nauseated and crying one morning, I'm grateful that our decision to homeschool lets me roll right along with them and their Pukey-Pukes instead of having to scramble to call into work or daycare or school. Instead, I can close the lesson plan book, grab a fun Read Aloud, fire up the PBS shows we've got on our DVR and some Thieves and our day has been made. (Seriously, all you Moms that work outside the home and/or have kids in public schools- You guys get mad props. That's a LOT of balls to juggle when one of your kids gets sick at the last minute.) 

Martha Washington, BLESS HER HEART, changed my life with this quote when I read it several years ago: "I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition." 

SHE IS SO RIGHT. 

If I'm looking for the bad- it's all gonna be bad. I'm going to be tired and irritated and literally all.the.things. will be going wrong. My back will ache and my pinkie toenail will snag my blanket and the bruise I have on my elbow from two weeks ago will twinge. But if I purpose in my heart to CHOOSE to be cheerful, no matter how dismal the outlook seems- I'll always find at least one thing, SOMEthing to be joyful for. If you're struggling- electric coffee pots are a good place to start. ::wink::

What joy can you choose to find?

Have a Christ-filled day, y'all! And thanks for stopping by~ Katie.