Triggers

I guess we all probably have our "trigger" areas. You know, the things that can make the day seem all right or all wrong. For instance, the floors being vacuumed and the dishes being washed = immediate peace for me. Daniel has learned me well enough to know that if I've had a rough day, him spending 15 minutes with the vacuum cleaner does more for me than any pep-talk ever could.

I have four more "triggers." The way they sleep, eat, play, talk, and behave can make my heart soar or can send me into the fastest downward spiral you've ever seen.

That's the thing about "triggers." They're changing-- if not
moment-to-moment, at least day-to-day. The victory I experience when I
lay that fussy baby down in her bed will be dissolved in my tears when she
wakes up screaming 15 minutes later. The peace of one morning's
down-pat routine disappears when naptime is disastrous. My
four-year-old might eat the cereal and milk without complaining today,
but that is no indication of what he'll do tomorrow.

It isn't wrong to achieve satisfaction in the work of our hands and the world around us, so long as we know that it isn't lasting. The floor that is vacuumed right now will be covered in bread crumbs, smushed green peas, and half-chewed chicken in a couple hours. It's the way it goes.

But Jesus never changes. And the peace and satisfaction He gives is always available. In life's storms and trials. In the big and small disappointments. In rest and in exhaustion. In candlelight dinners and in fast food eaten on the go.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you;
not as the world gives
do I give to you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid.
                                              John 14:27