Take joy in Jonah Days

Ever have a week of Mondays? You know, those weeks where it's Tuesday & it feels like it already should be a Friday? Awful week? Long exhausting days when crawling under a desk & crying sounds like the best option?

That's me.

Monday was a "jonah day."  I was exhausted. Stressed out to the point of making myself sick. Worried about the how's, when's & where's. I could not calm myself down. I tried praying. I tried talking about it.  I tried thinking about it. I tried not thinking about it. Nothing was working. As I drove home at the end of the work day,  I turned down the radio and began to pray. It wasn't a long prayer. It wasn't an authoritive prayer. It was simply a plea to my Heavenly Father.

 "Jesus, I need peace. I need inspiration. I need calm. I need wisdom. I know that it will work out  as You plan but I need help in the meantime."

Done-Simple prayer.  And guess what? I didn't feel instant peace. I didn't become instantly wise concerning the future. But I did feel reassurance that it was all going to work out. And it is...
This morning I woke up, still stressed and still sickly, but as I went through my daily devotional time I read this scripture.

18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, LORD, supported me. 19 When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. -Psalms 94:18-19

I can take joy in knowing that HE (my Savior, my Deliverer, my Shelter, my Rock, my Fortress) is watching out for me. When I feel overwhelmed by current events, emotional distress, mental anguish...etc. I can take joy in knowing HE is still there, even during my jonah days.

5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. -Psalms 27:5



I learned the hard way…

“I learned the hard way…

And my heavy heart sinks deep down”

– Sara Bareilles

Lessons learned the hard way…

It could have been so much easier to just listen to the wise voices

Instead I chose to make my own way, path, mistakes.

Repeatedly they tried to tell me

Step away from that path,

It’s death to you.

I didn’t listen.

Stubbornly insisting I could make it.

I made it …

Barely.

I stumbled half dead from the erroneous path

Dodging the poisoned darts

Thrown in attempts to mortally wound me.

Falling onto the arms of those all knowing ones.

Lessons learned.

I could have avoided these scars

If only I would have listened

To those wise knowing ones in my life.

Could have avoided this sick pain.

This embarrassment, this shame.

However,

I’m stronger now.

I’m slightly wiser.

I know now to listen

when wisdom screams her warnings.

Sadly, I had to learn it the hard way.

Some say that’s the only way to learn.

I disagree.

It’s long hard way to learn.

Or you could take the shortcut

And listen to those around you.

Odds are they took the long way

They have scars & bruises to show

Listen to them.

Hear their hard earned wisdom.

Chose how you will learn your lesson.

It could be as easy as taking the time to

Honestly listen to those voices around you.

The lesson is still going to be there…

You have the power to decide

How you will learn it

The easy or the hard way.

“If you learn from your suffering, and really come to understand the lesson you were taught, you might be able to help someone else who's now in the phase you may have just completed. Maybe that's what it's all about after all...”