So a verse in James came to mind this morning as I took care of Caleb. James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." It was a hard start to the morning. As many of you know, we have had a lot of financial difficulty/things break lately...to the point where it is funny. =) Caleb and I both have some hefty medical bills, our AC in our house has been "fixed" four times but still runs all day and makes our electic bill sky high, garbage disposal broke, fridge is very old and stopped running the other day (but came back on=), AC is broken in both of our cars, Marc's car is running rough...the list goes on! This morning, since my husband was so kind to volunteer to feed Caleb last night, I had to pump this morning....BADLY. =) Well, there must have been a clog of sorts in one of the parts and milk got sucked into the pump...ugh! Needless to say, I was frustrated because that was another thing to replace and I really needed to pump!
Here's where Caleb came in...he's so precious. He started getting fussy right as Marc was leaving for work, and I knew he was getting sleepy or just needed attention. Well, I really needed to shower because I was irritated from the morning and needed to feel fresh! Caleb was such a little doll. I brought him into the hallway by the bathroom, and he just stared up at me with loving, inquisitive eyes. He LOVES watching me get ready. It's such a sweet time with him. I was then able to take a shower because he loves the sound of running water. After the shower he got fussy again and got the hiccups, poor guy. This was the cutest thing...he hiccuped like two times and then conked out dead asleep. =) I was able to then finish getting ready while he napped. Every day I try to remind myself what a gift he is. It's not his fault my pump broke. =)
It's so easy to get wrapped up in the things of this world...I've been reminded of that a lot lately while reading the gospel of John. When I went to look up the verse in James to post on here, I was pleasantly surprised to read the second half about God being unchanging. I had forgotten that part! God knew I needed that when everything seemed to be going wrong with the "stuff" in our lives. THEN to see the context I read the rest of James 1. Verses 2-8 really stood out:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
Perseverence must indeed finish its work in our lives. God doesn't promise it will be easy! However, what hope we have of eternal life if we trust in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. =) I am just so thrilled to see God working in a very tangible way in my life the last few days. Not only has He turned many of the above situations around, like the pediatric company giving us a 20% discount on Caleb's bill (!!), but more importantly, He has challenged me while in the trials, like reading this passage today. God is good...ALL THE TIME!
