I have had an interesting week to say the least.  In reality, it has been very unusual and full of ups and downs.  More like a roller-coaster than a walk in the park, if you know what I mean.  Let me share some of the details...

On Tuesday, I read a quote by C.S. Lewis that said something like this (paraphrase) - As Christians, our mistake is not that we ask God for too much, but rather for too little.  We are content to act as a child making mudpies in the alley when what God wants to do is give us a holiday at the seashore.  Wow!  Perhaps I am guilty of this very thing.  My prayers are often so general, not specific, and I worry about asking for too much.  I mean, truly, isn't His salvation enough for me?  How could I ask for anything more.  Then, I realized that God is truly like a parent.  As parents, we want to give our children the best things, but we also want them to ask for our help also (in a polite and respectful way, of course).

So, I decided to pray more specifically for what my heart truly longed for.  I told the Lord my fears and hopes and laid them at His feet, and then I went to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to find that my daughter had caught a severe case of the flu.  Nursing her all day, I began to worry about dehydration.  Then another child contracted the virus - this time, the baby.  I worried again about keeping her hydrated and about how to manage the situation at home with two very sick children.  Then, I received the phone call.  My active and healthy 66 year old mother was going in for a quadruple by-pass surgery.  I cried out to the Lord, "Please Lord, bring her through this surgery.  I am not ready to lose my mother."

As it turned out, during the surgery, the doctors found that there were not four clogged arteries, but six.  They did six by-passes that afternoon in a 10 hour long surgery.  I have not even heard of having six clogged arteries.  My mother was just a heart-attack waiting to happen.

During all of this I must mention that our house in on the market and we had to keep packing up the kids and the sick supplies (basin, paper towels, etc) and leaving the house for buyers to come through with their realtors.  Oh my, this was getting exhausting.

Now, it is Sunday.  Before church, my toddler came across my freshly poured coffee cup and decided to take a sip.  She must have slightly burned her mouth because she proceeded to drop the coffee cup and spill its contents all down the front of her body and onto the white carpet.  My oldest daughter pulled off her pajamas to check for burns and my husband dove into the job of cleaning up the stained carpet.  Thankfully, she did not appear to be burned.  Thank the Lord, it was not McDonald's coffee served at boiling hot temperatures!

This morning in church we sang a song about trading in our sickness, sorrows and pain for the joy of the Lord.  Sounds like a good exchange to me!  After a long week, the sun is out today.  My daughters are well, the toddler isn't burned, the other children did not catch the flu, my mother is in recovery, the house is still in beautiful condition, and we are safe and well in the arms of our Lord.

As I look back on this week, I realize that I prayed more fervently, more often and more specifically than I have in a long time.  I also experienced more trials than I have in a long time also.  Is this a coincidence or am I in the middle of a lesson from God.  He has answered all of my prayers this week except for the two that I prayed on Tuesday night.  How will he answer those?  I do not know but I wait in expectation for what my good Lord will do.

What do you have in store for us this next week, Lord?