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I was doing my devotions this morning and my book lead me to read Psalm 131. I read the New King James Version. It reads like this:    "1. Lord, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty, Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me. 2. Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me.  3. O Israel, hope in the Lord From this time forth and forever."

What jumped out at me from this text is where in verse 2 it doesn't say "You have calmed and quieted my soul." It says, "I have calmed and quieted my soul." That means that it is my responsibility to calm my own soul.

I love the word picture David uses to show how we calm our souls. As mothers we can most of us totally relate to this picture. The rest of us can look back to when we were children to get our minds around this concept.

So how does one actually calm their soul in the midst of the chaos of homeschooling?? I can tell you it is not easy! Even since I read this verse this morning and as I was writing this blog, my son (who has asperger's and ADHD) was having a meltdown. If you have never seen an aspie child have a meltdown just know that it is more than just a simple tantrum. In my home what it looks like is an inconsolable child screaming for a minimum of 5 minutes at the top of their lungs. Efforts to try to help this child get control are in vain. You can threaten and even spank, (this only makes matters worse), you can hold and try to comfort them, you can ignore them; nothing seems to work until somehow the child suddenly is over it. Add to this picture my older son having an attitude this morning and taking that attitude out on his brother and sister.

It would be easy for me to conclude that it is impossible for me to "calm my soul" in the midst of all this. This was all just during breakfast! However, God's Word says that nothing is impossible with Him. So I make the effort toward keeping my soul calm and He does the rest! When I feel my ire starting to rise, I need to take a deep breath and remember this verse.

We somehow got through breakfast, well the kids have eaten I have yet to. My older son just cleaned off and washed the table without even being asked to. I think he is planning to host a Bible study for his brother and sister. Hmmm, I hope his attitude has changed for the better! I am not all uptight and upset even after the big scene during breakfast. Praise God! This is huge progress for me!!!

Lord, please help me to apply this verse throughout my day and from now on! Thank you for showing me that I need to calm my soul. I pray that this posting will be an encouragement to others who struggle with this as well. Amen