8.01.2012

Into the Word #4 (The Missing Peace)


Into the Word Wednesday was created by these inspirational women.  Check out their links and join in if you'd like!                           
                                   Falen and Laura at Upward, not Inward
Sarah at Fontenot Four
Becky at Tales For Ashes
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Last night, after watching the Olympics until midnight (I'm going to be dragging until they're over,) I went to take my evening meds and discovered the extra samples I'd just received from my doctor were missing.  

I looked every place they should have been, and they were not there.  I looked in places where they could have been, but they weren't there either.  Then, I started looking in places I knew they weren't, like under sofa cushions and in the refrigerator.   No samples.  Then, getting more frazzled, I looked in all those places again. 

I finally went to bed about 1 a.m. without taking my dose of Niaspan, because I couldn't find it.  I've been on this pill one week.  I did not get to sleep until 3 a.m., because I kept thinking, what happens if I suddenly stop this pill?  I stayed awake, wondering if I was breathing differently, if my heart was skipping, if my blood was getting thicker.  Anxiety-ridden stuff.  I was also kicking myself for not remembering what I did with the next three weeks of sample packets.  

This morning, I started all over again.  I looked in the same places I'd looked before, thinking maybe at 1 a.m. I simply didn't see the samples packets that were staring me in the face.  Nothing.  

When my daughter got up, I asked her if she'd seen the samples.   Yeah, she said, a week ago.  She helped me look.  She looked in all the places I'd looked and even searched the two cars.  I sifted through the trash and the recycling bin.  I got more and more disgusted with myself.   I was dreading having to call my doctor and explain I'd lost the month's worth of free medication she was so kind to give me.  I was so worked up.  And, so irritated with my limited, clearly diminishing memory. 

Suddenly, my girl came from the guest room, waving the sample packets in exultation.  "I found them!"

We hugged and danced around, and she took me to the guest room closet where we store our back stock of groceries and paper goods (we're couponers.)  There, they had been.  Right next to the eye vitamins and two boxes of Russell Stover's chocolates. 

"Thank you, Jesus!" I kept saying.  

"Thank you, St. Anthony (the saint of missing things)!" my daughter kept saying.  

We were two happy girls.  I felt the cinder block slide off my chest.  I'm telling you, I was in a tizzy. 

I wrapped up some things and then sat down with my daily devotional.   Here's what it said:

Trust Me in the depths of your being.  When you feel flustered and frazzled on the outside, do not get upset with yourself.  You are only human, and the swirl of events going on around you will sometimes feel overwhelming.  Rather than scolding yourself for your humanness, remind yourself that I am both with you and within you.  
                                                                            Jesus Calling, Sarah Young 

I laughed out loud.  How closely God watches us and knows our frustrations.  How crazy I get when I misplace things, run late, get buried beneath the clutter.  My tolerance for life's headaches is very low. Thank God, God is unaffected by the world's chaos.  His peace is constant and unwavering and available for the asking.  

My prayer for all of us today (particularly me) is that when life gets frustrating, we remember God is unflappable, and we, too, can be.  Being upset or crazy doesn't help us solve a problem any faster.  In fact, it can curtail clear thinking and exasperate the issue.   

We all know people who have a calm, steady nature and, when faced with a challenge, simply work the problem.  I want to be like that.  It's clearly not my nature, but with God's help, I hope to reduce the number of melt-downs. 

What circumstances aggravate you?  Are you able to maintain an inner peace while resolving a problem?   If so, what helps you do that?   

Frazzled minds would like to know.


  


20 comments:

Tamera Brose said...

That sounds so much like me, especially when I lose things. What a wonderful reminder when you opened your journal. I'm glad you found the meds.

Tales of Beauty For Ashes said...

I admit that often when things don't go my way, I get frazzled. I think God is helping me be less controlling. It's a tough lesson.

So glad you linked up today!

Melanie said...

I'm so with you on getting frazzled at my own seeming disregard for important things when they are needed. I especially get frazzled when Big won't take his meds or just refuses to be helpful when he needs his ADHD meds or his detox stuff. It's a lot for anyone to take, and especially hard on a 7-year-old. I try to remind myself of this but sometimes I just want to cram every pill down his throat with a gallon of water just to show him whose boss. But I am not boss. Not even close. And I have to remind myself that at 7, I would not have wanted to take any of these pills anyway. It was hard enough to get my mom to give a Flintstone's vitamin to 5 kids. So I pride myself that I've made it over four months on this detox and over a year on his other meds without once cramming them down his throat!

Annalisa Crawford said...

I'm pretty easy going if I change my own plans - I love to think I can go with the flow - but if SOMEONE ELSE changes my plans for me, I can get very aggrevated. I have a picture in my head of how I'd like to react, but I can't stick with it. Practise, practise, practise...

Aneta said...

Oh, I'm a panicker, too! Sometimes I just have to tell myself to take a deep breath and calm down. I have to tell myself the 'truth', that life is not going to end because of such-and-such. Thanks for the encouragement!

Blessed Serendipity said...

I know how it feels to misplace something important and how frustrating it is. I am so happy that you found what you were looking for. For me, accepting that things aren't always under my control helps.

xo,
Danielle

Kelly said...

Yikes, I an totally relate to this post as it is NOT in my nature to be calm about things that frustrate me. I am in the midst of potty training a VERY stubborn 3 year old. I feel like he's NEVER going to get it and i get so upset. That is not helping I KNOW it. I need HIS peace to get us through this.

Rita said...

I can be calm over something like that...but let there be a moth or a wasp in the house and you'll see a the panicky side of me. Silly, but true. I can relate to the frustration of losing something, though. I am normally very organized, but can't remember as well as I used to. Drives me crazy until I find whatever it is I am searching for.

So glad you found them!! :):)

Karen Lange said...

When I lose something, I always think about how God knows exactly where it is. I appreciate His grace and help in finding things!

I've been staying up too late watching the Olympics too. :)

Happy Wednesday,
Karen

Unknown said...

That is super frustrating! I have been there. Thank you so much for linking up with us today!

Kelly
http://exceptionalistic.com

Sarah said...

Such a great reminder! For me I start stressing about finances... oh those worries can keep me up for hours. Sometimes it is so hard to trust that God has us covered but man when we do, amazing things happen!

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

I hate it when that happens and sometimes you can't see for looking because you get into a state about not finding whatever it is you are looking for, well I do then like you if I had gone to bed my brain will not shut down because I am either thing about where said thing is or worring about not taking the tablet like you did.........and then I will be like Jo-Anne stop thinking and just go to sleep...........lol

Cecilia Marie Pulliam said...

From one frazzled mind to another, as you have so eloquently stated, faith is what makes the difference. For with God we can do all things, even the impossible - like finding missing medication. We are blessed indeed.

Lynn Proctor said...

wonderful post and reminder--i love your new picture :)

momto8 said...

oh everyone knows what you are talking about!! i say over and over and over...Jesus I trust in you...I start believing it and start to relax.
happy weekend!

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

Very few things upset me, and I can take just about anything in stride, but every once in a while, something will get under my skin like nobody's business. Stupid things, things that I shouldn't give a second thought to. Like the other day, instead of waiting to get into the left-hand turn lane like he "should have", this guy behind me cut over ahead of time. I saw him coming, so waited for him to pass before pulling over, and then he got through the light, and I got stopped on the red. Drove me momentarily nuts. Like I said, stupid. But for the most part, the older I get, the more inner peace I have, and the easier it is to put things into perspective. (Except for that darned traffic incident the other day... and I have no idea why it got to me like that. By the time I made the turn, I was laughing at myself.) I'm glad you found your meds okay.

Thank you for your kind comment about my mother-in-law. I do appreciate it.

Plant Seeds of Happiness said...

So happy you found your meds whew!! I say when those around me start to get worked up I have a harder time relying on His word to see us thru. My daughter asked to go to my appt & I said No I will do it alone it is to hard knowing that I have someone waiting on me when I am on the Dr.s schedule he is not on mine or theirs when I feel others impatientness I get flustered. I think there is a med for that LOL blessings for a relaxing weekend :]

Marie said...

I can relate to this as well! If something is misplaced it's difficult for me to move on to anything else. At night I find myself worried about things and have trouble sleeping from time to time. I pray again and get reminded that at that moment I need to rest my brain. :) Have to remind myself to breathe sometimes. LOL I just love your team player pics! I do hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Dana said...

Wonderful post! I can definitely relate. As a mom of two young kids, I get frazzled about things all the time, and I often have a very hard time maintaining any kind of inner peace. I've learned to pray a lot. :)

Isn't it wonderful how daily devotions often seem to be written just for us and our circumstances?

Unknown said...

I'm seeing a theme that God is showing me today: trust. Radically.

Thank you!!

~Stacy
www.eyesofyourheart.com