Sunday, July 24, 2011

Strength for Today

This morning I read a passage from Romans. Romans 12:12 spoke powerfully to me today: "Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer."
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Daughter is already up-- when you spend an entire day sleeping you don't need as much sleep at night. She has promised to make today a better day, and she is currently listening to Christian music, "My day goes better when I start by listening to my Christian music, Mom." I begin this new day rejoicing in the hope that Daughter will make it a better day. We are headed to church with Sister and Short Niece today. It is their Vacation Bible School program, so we will get to see Short Niece be a part of that. I'm glad that I'm off today so that we can do that.
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Yesterday my patience was wearing thin. Hopefully my supply of patience will be refilled by a better day with Daughter and time with Sister and Short Niece. I know that it is only prayer that carries me through the hard days with Daughter. Interestingly, when I was writing the verse from memory I changed "prayer" to "love." It is prayer that enables me to continue to love Daughter.
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Loving Daughter through the ups and downs of life has given me a greater understanding of God's love. If I can continue to love Daughter, in spite of all she puts me through, how much more does God love? I view my human love as an imperfect reflection of God's perfect love. That is also a source of hope for me today: God's love for Daughter and me.
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I'm looking forward to a better day.

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