Stinky Days

Monday was a rotten smelly day.  I know you know what I mean.  Some days just stink.

I was feeling really worthless and stinky too.  My poor husband had to hear me whine about it all and my poor kids were much more ignored than usual (at least I wasn't yelling at them, I guess that is something, of course you don't yell at people when you have locked yourself away in your bedroom). 

Nothing particularly horrible happened.  I can't tell you what the problem was.  I just felt awful and depressed and all that jazz (the depressing "I lost my dog and my baby" kind of jazz). 

At one point I sat down to try to read a book for a minute.  I am currently reading this.  The authors of the book are parents of eight children.  I didn't really read much that day, but I got to thinking how glad I was not to have eight children at that moment.  It was all I could do to handle the six that I have on that day.

Then that got me thinking how grateful I am for a Father in Heaven who knows me so personally.  There is that scripture in the New Testament that says "God will not tempt you above what you can handle" (1 Corinth 10:13) and I laughed to myself and thought, "Yes, but he will definitely push you right up to the limit." 

But that is how it should be (easier to say now that I have some distance from Monday).  How else would we grow?  If life were always comfortable and easy we would never stretch and become something more.

That is not to say that stretching is fun.  At least, I don't always love it, but in the long run I am thankful for the growth I have managed and I hope to grow more...although (aimed at the ceiling) I'm not asking for trouble!

I am also thankful for a Savior who understands my feelings perfectly.  When He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane it wasn't some nameless lump of pain that was dumped on Him and He muddled through it.  He suffered for me personally.  He understands not just heartache, but MY heartache.  He knows not just grief, but MY grief.  He knows how sadness feels to ME.  And because of that He knows exactly how to help me through it (and he sent me Josh which is the greatest gift He has given me in this life...I adore that guy!!). 

I can't really say I am grateful for horrible, stinky days ( I don't love feeling worthless and awful...does anyone?).  But I am grateful for days that are better than that and I guess I wouldn't know the difference if I didn't have rotten ones once in a while. 

Here's to getting through the stink to maybe smell the roses.