Remember the Y E T

Have you ever noticed that when you are mad at your spouse, your kids are the most annoying? Or when you are the most exhausted, your baby is the most fussy? Or when you have had it with the kids, your husband can’t seem to get anything right? It seems that there is a conspiracy to make us feel worse when we are already at a low spot.

There is a reason for that, you know. When our mood is sour, it impacts everyone around us. Especially those who love and need us the most. Misery is inevitable, but being miserable is a choice. What are you choosing to do with the miserable things in life? As adults we seem to reach back to our childhood when things are going south. “I wouldn’t have said that if you….”  “I was only responding like that because you…”  “How do you expect me to react when you…”  We definitely have a tendency to pass off our attitudes and reactions as if they are totally the responsibility of someone else. I get it.

I married an imperfect man (who seems to be getting closer to that perfect man all the time, but that is a story for a different day). I raised kids that were sometimes noisy, messy, whiny and disobedient. I have felt taken for granted and over-worked and under-appreciated. I have been judged unfairly and treated badly. I have wondered how we could afford groceries. I have endured a myriad of medical issues. LIFE IS HARD. I get it. And there have been those times when I truly felt God had turned His back on me, leaving me in my crisis, all alone and crying. YET…

As I write, I am reliving a day in LaRabida Children’s Hospital. Emily, our oldest daughter, has a relatively rare muscle disease called Dermatomyositis and she was in critical condition. I stayed at that hospital with her for over 5 months. One day when I left her room to go take a shower, I came back to find tears streaming down her face. She had awakened and needed a bed pan, but was too weak to push the button to call a nurse. She was laying in her own waste and I wasn’t there for her. The tears were tickling her as they trickled down her cheeks and she couldn’t raise her hand to dry them. We got her all cleaned up and, in her very weak voice, she said to me, “Mommy, when animals hurt this bad, they put them to sleep. Why can’t you tell the doctors to help me die?”

I’m sure you have figured out that day wasn’t a high point on my spiritual journey. I crawled into bed with her and we cried together for what seemed like an eternity. I was definitely at a breaking point, watching her suffer so long. I was so sad and so angry. I kept thinking that the “God is Love” thing was a joke. A really bad one. How could a God of love let an innocent little girl suffer so much. I really just wanted to walk away from Him and never look back. YET…

Those 3 letters Y E T have made all the difference in my life many times. When the days are long and the load is heavy; when the nights are lonely and the heart is breaking; when loss comes along and the rest of the world seems to be gaining… YET, I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again and again and again. He is the source of my life and my joy. If I turn and walk away, what is left? On whom can I call in the midst of my sorrow and struggle?

Can I just remind you … when your husband isn’t enough… when your children are sick… when your job is horrid… when your head is pounding… when you are avoiding the mailbox because of the bills piling up… when life is more than you can handle… when you feel like God has turned His back on you… to remember the YET.

When we fail to realize that God is seeing it all and knows exactly what we need we are truly hopeless. But, when we are in those dark valleys we must look up and know that He hasn’t let go of us. The best way I know to turn things around is surrounding yourself with Godly friends who will pray for you and praise with you. God inhabits the praises of His people. That’s why we feel closest to him when we are singing His praises without abandon. When we sit around and bash our husband and complain about our job and our kids, we only fuel the flames of discontent. When we thank God for our mate, our kids, our job, etc. we feel His strength begin to ooze into our sorrow and give us hope for whatever lies ahead.

Remember, wherever you are and whatever your circumstances, you can choose to say, Yet, I will praise YOU. Yet, I will put my hope in YOU. Yet, I will follow where you lead. It will completely alter your attitude and your kids will notice. Your spouse will notice. You will be choosing to set the mood in your home as you place your hand in the unseen hand and walk the difficult road that life may lead you down, knowing that He is worthy of your praise and a safe place to rest all your hope.