Have you ever had one of those days?

You know, those days that nothing seems to go right. You're cranky and can't seem to say or do anything without getting frustrated or annoyed, be at inanimate objects or *gulp* your kids or husband? I seem to be having a few of these types of days the past few weeks. I always fall into bed feeling absolutely horrible about the day, knowing that I was just down right rotten to the people I love the most in this world and praying that they don't remember the next day. As embarrassed as I am to admit this, I have found the reason or at least part of the reasons for this: my devotions and quiet time with the Lord have been sporadic at best the past few months. I was doing really well, but excuse after excuse leads to me to today: when I don't spend time with the Lord, Satan loves to jump right in and show me all the things that are going wrong or badly instead of all the good things that God has done for us. Last night when my frustrations threatened to overwhelm me, I went to the Word. I came across 4 verses that immediately "slapped me in the face", which was exactly what I needed:

~Psalm 66:10
"For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver."
~Psalm 66:16
"Come and listen, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me."
~Psalm 66:20
"Praise be to God, who has not rejected my
prayer or withheld his love from me!"
~Psalm 68:19
"Praise be to the Lord, to the God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens."

So as I'm once again humbled by what the Lord has done for us, I also desire to serve him. And to serve him, I need to first and foremost, spend time in His Word and seeking His Will for my life as a wife and mother. I need to pray for patience and understanding, as I work with my 2 1/2 year old, teaching him what God expects from him and helping him see his sinful ways (& continually asking forgiveness for mine!) and his need for the Savior. I need to continue to trust in the Lord because he continues to provide and take care of us in so many ways. So whether I am able to get up early (before my children) and have my devotions then or if it has to wait until the kids are down for their naps, I need to make that my priority. May you all have a blessed day.