Home again

It's amazing how much you can get slammed with after an especially wonderful and uplifting time with God. This may sound odd to some and make perfect sense to others.
The story is this:
After several weeks of study and prayer, I led a short study in Atlanta for a women's group at Powers Ferry UMC. The study went well. My visit to Atlanta was restorative and uplifting. I had lots of creative ideas for what to do next here at home. Then it came time to actually go home.
I did NOT want to go! I dragged my feet. I added another day. We stopped in Ocala to visit my MIL. We finally arrived home to find the cleaning fairy had skipped our house. Rats! I'd better leave cookies next time... So there were all the clothes and toys we hadn't brought on the trip. Plus, a hundred little papers and dust bunnies. Topping it off were two kids who were just all done with sitting quietly. Maybe it wasn't all that bad now that I think about it. It just seemed awful because it was such a let down. Who would have imagined that coming home to the land next to the Land of Pixie Dust could be such a bummer?

The first morning we were still tired and grumpy until we went for a walk. By the time we arrived home after lunch, things had brightened considerably. By bed time I was feeling much better and able to cope with things here.

One of the last things I read last night was about how we often need to reclaim God's peace over and over again. You know, when we get all upset upset over something, tell ourselves we will let it go, but then we can't? Choosing peace is not the same as being passive. It's much harder.

When I was awakened this morning at the crazy hour of 5 something, I first questioned it. But I decided that spending a little time with God might do me way more good than a little extra sleep. The Psalms I read oddly centered on God's protection in troubling times. God's steadfast presence and later verses highlighted Jesus's commitment to bring peace to our lives. As an added bonus, I went back to sleep after a bit and everyone slept an extra 50 minutes. Woohoo!!!

Today, I saw my grumpy mood for what it was. A spiritual enemy (yes, I do believe in such things) trying to distract my focus from my purpose here. Not that I know my exact purpose, but I'm pretty sure it does not include sitting in my sunny, condo with a water view and moping about how none of my friends are here. It was an attempt to rattle my confidence in a God who pulled everything together last week and many, many other times before. And when I called it as such, my peace began to return and the grumpies faded. Go figure.

Thank you to all of you who send notes and comment publicly. It really helps me to strive for faithfulness. A little accountability goes a long way. Without it, I might sucked into the grinch vortex!