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good.bad.good.good. so-so.
That's how my days were this week.
HALT!
Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired
Philippians 4:19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
All of them??????
All of them!
Isaiah 40:11 "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."
That's how my days were this week.
The good days are days when I get things done, when I can hang out with people, clean my house, reach out to others, play with my kids, spend time with God, do something creative... the list goes on.
The bad days... when I feel so lonely, discouraged, frustrated, unproductive... bad days. I don't know why I feel so lonely so often. Is it the mountain setting? or the fact that I've never lived near another mom-friend during my whole mom-experience? Is it that I have no real home anywhere- nowhere that I can go back to where I know many people and they know me well? My poor correspondence? What about choices- have they made us walk a lonely road? In any case, the more I think about it, I imagine that although I feel lonely, I'm most likely not alone in that! I imagine that there are many lonely people around me, or far away, but people I have known or interacted with in the past. Often when I'm lonely, God reminds me of this:
The bad days... when I feel so lonely, discouraged, frustrated, unproductive... bad days. I don't know why I feel so lonely so often. Is it the mountain setting? or the fact that I've never lived near another mom-friend during my whole mom-experience? Is it that I have no real home anywhere- nowhere that I can go back to where I know many people and they know me well? My poor correspondence? What about choices- have they made us walk a lonely road? In any case, the more I think about it, I imagine that although I feel lonely, I'm most likely not alone in that! I imagine that there are many lonely people around me, or far away, but people I have known or interacted with in the past. Often when I'm lonely, God reminds me of this:
HALT!
Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired
When I was in University, someone shared the HALT acronym with me, stating that when we're feeling those things, we are most vulnerable spiritually. It's like an alarm to me when I realize that I'm feeling any of those things (which is far too often!!!) , that I must stop whining about being hungry/angry/lonely/tired and focus on the One who offers to meet all my needs.
Philippians 4:19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
All of them??????
All of them!
Isaiah 40:11 "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."
5 comments:
Thanks, this is a good reminder.
Yes, a good reminder. I had not heard that acronym. It is right.
Hey, we're thinking of you and Nate.
Love,
Dad [in WI]
Thank you for sharing this! I love your thoughts. Good for me to know a red flag too. Our God is always good even when we don't recognize. I think everyone is lonely at times but you are more secluded than most! Praying for you.
I understand all too well your feelings about not having a "home" to go to where you know a lot of people and they know you well. Nich and I just spent a weekend with some of my friends from college, and it was SO nice to just be able to BE with people ... and just be the real us. It's a restful thing to be where we are known.
You are so right, though. We are always with the One who knows us best, so we are never truly alone. :~) Love you, Joie. Thank you for sharing your heart so freely here. You encourage me.
somtimes I worry about not having a close mom friend when I have my little baby. All the friends at church that I have made are working moms and busy busy. It's getting harder to find moms here who don't work full time. Of course I really prefer to have a childhood friend nearby that is also a stay-at-home mom and has known me forever and I don't have to explain myself or tell more about myself, they just know! It's work to be so open and get to know new people all the time, but God has been teaching me that I need to do just that. I just found out about a group that does get together for play dates, though, so I am excited about that. God likes when I branch out and reach out to others (not just for me but for them) as I have a tendency to be rather hermitish. I appreciate the verses you quoted. Jesus is my portion. He is enough and always will be.
You are such a great mom, Joie, and I would hang out with you if I could!! of course you know that, but know that I will also pray for your days. Not that every one would be productive (as some are prone to feel quite awful in that area when you have little kids, I'm sure!) but that you would be comforted. You have hidden His word in your heart already, and it's an encouragement to me as you reveal your heart, so open and trusting of the Lord. He is your comforter, and your Husband throughout your daily moments.
I love you!!
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