Plan B

What a difference one day makes. The day after Derek's birthday was rough. One of our sons made the biggest mess ever in the bathroom during the night...I awoke to hear Derek scrubbing the floor at 6:30 am. He gave me the task of finding out which child made the mess, since he had to leave for work. I was so thankful he'd cleaned up the worst of it and looked forward to dishing out a punishment! All I had to do is pay attention to which child didn't have to use the bathroom right away. Busted.

The day just went south from there. Most of the time I highlight the good times in my blog. They are more fun to write about. But don't let that fool you--I have not-so-good times too. May 12th was one of those days. The weather was gloomy. Braylen came home sick from school and we discovered strep throat was to blame. I made several trips to the clinic that day to get all 3 kids tested...and then visited the pharmacy. But the worst part of our day came after supper.

Derek received a call from work. Dum-da-dum-dum. Major bad news. A completely different summer will emerge from the message passed down through that phone call. Without being too specific online...our lives are turned upside down and inside out for the next 2 and 1/2 months. What looked like some down time from Derek's intense work schedule during the school year looks to be anything but that this summer. I was sad. The next day I got mad.

I'm still processing it, still wishing life would change back to the way it was. A very wise friend reminded me that God is good, and Satan likes to kick us when we're down. I sure feel kicked around, but I have to ask myself--is God still good? Circumstances are not good. So, is God good? Doesn't He have control over these circumstances? Another wise friend told me God will not waste this time. So very true. I look at this summer and see a mess...full of disappointments and frustrations. What does God see? Does He see opportunity? Blessings? I hope He lets me in on His view sometime soon. This Plan B for our summer is not my plan. But if I look at this through a Biblical worldview, this is God's plan. I'll keep reminding myself of that, and hopefully my emotions will catch up with these truths sooner rather than later.

Besides the encouragement offered by these friends of mine, a letter arrived in the mail (from out of state) on May 13th, just one day after this big announcement at work. A coincidence? I don't think so. It's from Derek's "unseen back-up." Someone we don't know who prays for Derek on a regular basis. On the job Derek receives back-up from other officers. This person is unseen by us, unknown by us, but backing him up just the same. He wrote, "I pray that God will reveal His love to you and that He will continue to keep you and your family safe." On May 13th I was feeling more betrayed than loved, so this spoke greatly to me. He also went on to say, "I got your back." You know how good that feels? To see God at work in ways that are much greater than us. To know there are people praying for us even though we don't know who they are. This verse was included in Derek's card from his unseen back-up. Again, it's not a coincidence. God is speaking to me, and I'm trying to hear His voice...even when it's hard.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18