I'M DROWNING!

Sunday devotional, 2/3/13

As they sailed, [Jesus] fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.  The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”  He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.  “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.  Luke 8:23-25a NIV

Perhaps you've felt this way before: "If the saying is true, 'when it rains, it pours', then I'm drowning!"  Sometimes I can say I've had one of those days, or one of those weeks.  Well, this year I can already say, I've had one of those months!  Maybe you've had times like this too, or perhaps are going through things that are overwhelming right now.  As for me this year, some of these things are minor, but when they just keep adding up, it seems like a huge wave about to engulf me.

Starting New Year's Eve: my car died and the shops were closed that day and the next, and it ended up being rats had chewed up the wires under the hood ("cha-ching"); our dog had a GI bleed causing black diarrhea at 2 a.m. that required 2 hours to clean up; I had a cancer scare with need to have an unwanted surgery, and the ensuing extended hospital stay due to errors/oversights/poor pain management issues (cha-ching again), and then 6 weeks off work with only partial pay; difficulties getting short term disability even approved in a timely manner and I am still working on getting the appropriate people to fill out the necessary paperwork on a secondary policy to partially make up the pay deficit; my husband injured his shoulder the week after my surgery, requiring spending most of the night at the ER (cha-ching!) and causing both of us to be unable to lift things around the house at the same time... then this week alone: a roof leak that had to be repaired; a furnace not working that had to be fixed; more car repairs for 2 days and at the same time a huge windshield crack requiring replacement (cha-chings deja vu!); the day after getting the car back, had to be towed back to the shop for a stuck parking brake; husband chipped a tooth and has to get a root canal (cha-ching!); discovered my psych nurse practitioner has cut back the days she is in the office where I see her, but they didn't notify me; husband finally had his shoulder MRI (2 weeks after injury) and now he can't get the results for another 2 weeks to see if he needs surgery... you get the picture. 

Taken individually these things are mostly minor with only a few significant scares.  But added together and all in one short time period, they could really cause a lot of stress.  Surprisingly, God has been gracious.  While I have had my moments, overall I have come out calm and trusting that God has it all handled.  He even saw to it that I am off work for 6 weeks total so that I have had time to deal with all these things!  I just have to remember to keep coming to him in prayer and laying it all at his feet.  God doesn't just observe us struggling, He comes to us and helps bring us through.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  Isaiah 43:2a NIV

So when you feel like you are drowning, remember - your Life-preserver walks on water!

written by Jan Andersen