Nope. We were too busy.

If you are like us, you probably like to look at posts that are loaded in pictures… Well, this past Monday we were so enormously busy that we didn’t take the time to get out the camera, but Mom suggested that we tell you about the day anyway.

Here’s a basic summary:

– first day of the 2012-2013 school year!!

– processing 23 qts. of green beans (picking, stemming, cutting, and canning)

– processing 4 qts. black beans

– freezing 4 qts. peaches

– processing 37 dozen ears of corn (picking, shucking, blanching, creaming, and freezing)

– continuing the computer work on putting together this year’s character curriculum

– eBay sales work

– 2 chiropractor appointments

– grocery shopping

– taking lunch to Dad at work

– spontaneous visits from 3 different sets of company!

– making Confederate Candles (minimum of 144)

– cleaning up the last of the evidence from two trees that fell in our yard last week

– trimming the shrubs

But…

… here’s a little background to the day.

5:30 am:

“Beep. Beep. Beep.” I rolled over and opened my eyes just enough to see the clock. “Uhhggggg…” I thought. Having an intense cough, I hadn’t gotten much sleep that night and didn’t feel like I could possibly attack all that I had to do that day with such a low energy level. To be brutally honest, I felt down. Way down. Exhausted. Sick. Discouraged. My head felt like a pressure canner. Managing to drag myself out of bed, I went downstairs and started getting ready for the day. I began to pray, telling the Lord how I felt, and suddenly He prompted me to begin thanking Him for it all. Even in the midst of what feels terrible, there are a thousand things to praise Him for! My headache began to lessen in intensity, and there was new hope, new enthusiasm, about facing the day before me.

In my time in the Word a little later, the Lord encouraged me with Psalm 71:8 – “Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and honor all the day.” The Lord periodically brought this to mind, as…

… for the next 18 hours, we worked hard. Very hard. Together. And, did I mention hard??

Oh what joy and fulfillment it brings when you labor with your family to take dominion over what the Lord has entrusted to you!

Shortly before dropping into bed at midnight, as we were scrubbing the last few stuck-on pieces of sticky sweet corn from the counters and cabinets and floor, we heard something. The last few notes of a song off of a new CD we recently purchased sang with peaceful reassurance: “His grace is sufficient…”

“Listen to what’s playing! How timely!” someone exclaimed. We all paused. We listened, enjoying the stillness.

What a blessed reminder! “His grace IS sufficient…”

So, if you took the time to read this long, rambling post (even with NO PICTURES!!), I applaud your perseverance and want to remind you that His grace is sufficient for you, in whatever you are facing today! You may feel tired, or sick, or discouraged. Your head may feel like a pressure canner.

Begin to give thanks, and seek Christ’s strength through His Word. Recount His abundant mercies in your life. And then dive into the work before you and you will find…

His grace is sufficient.