When Prayer is All There Is
Silly me. I thought the time change was going to be the hardest thing I had to deal with this past weekend. We were going to clean the house and do some simple errands and make a giant bowl of mashed potatoes to take to church on Sunday for the annual holiday meal.
I like to be prepared so on Fridays I always set up for the weekend. If we are going to clean I make a list and set out the cleaning tools. If I am going to go out of the house I lay out clothes I will need or things for the kids to do. If the dog is getting a bath I make sure I have treats and his shampoo all set out. This past Friday I set out the huge bag of potatoes and all of the tools I needed for the mashed potatoes. These efforts make life run so much more smoothly. There will always be bumps along the way, so being prepared for what you expect helps to make the unexpected easier.
I always set out my oils too. I know having them out where I can see them will help me remember to use them. If they’re sitting in a cabinet behind closed doors I will get busy and at the end of the day look back and wish I had stopped to rub one on during a challenging moment or had them in the diffuser while we had a hard discussion! I always set a few bottles by the diffuser in the living room with a jar of water so I can just pour it in and turn it on. If all I have to do is stop at the diffuser for a second I will definitely use it more!
Then I line up the oils I think I will need over the weekend on my bathroom counter and any I intend to add to my drinks I set out on a kitchen shelf. All it takes is a few minutes to be prepped and ready. This past weekend I drank Thieves Vitality in my hot water with stevia and I’m on a Slique Essence kick so I have that out where I can add it to my water all day long. On my bathroom counter I set out Abundance (I am using it every day in November as a challenge), Motivation (to get my rear in gear and get the house clean), Endoflex Vitality (I use it every morning for healthy Thyroid and adrenal systems) and Peace & Calming and lavender to end my day with.
Things were going along just fine until Sunday afternoon during our church family meal when we heard about the shootings in Sutherland Springs, TX….a small town about 90 miles from us. I don’t know anyone there, but I started crying when I heard and haven’t stopped much for the past 24 hours. (that Peace & Calming became more necessary than I knew!)
It is hard to know what to do in situations like these. We talked to our kids and tried to explain, helping them not to fear what might happen. We added the families who suffered such great loss to our prayer list. We discussed what they will hear about from friends and in the media that is true or not true. We point it all back to God and trust Him no matter what happens (I mean, what’s the point of trusting when everything is easy?).
The bottom line is all we really can do is prayer. Then more prayer.
Those families will need money and we, like many others, will jump in to help. What little we have to give will make a small difference. But our prayers will make the biggest impact. Turning to Him instead of being led by anger, bitterness, revenge or personal agendas is what will give this tragedy purpose.
We just never know what is around the next corner. A little bump or an insurmountable mountain of trial and struggle. We plan our days and prep for what we expect and most of the time that’s pretty close to what happens. Then one day it all changes. And all we have is prayer.
And that is the best news of all….that we have a way to talk to the Lord of the universe and He listens. Prayer is a powerful weapon against the trials of this life. It is a way we can all help the families in Sutherland Springs and it is a way to deal with all of our own small bumps in the road too.
Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”