Channels of Water

So, I have a feeling that life is going to begin accelerating in the next week or two. Different things have come up that I need to start doing or maybe doing before I leave for Ukraine. Today when I realized that, a wave of weakness came over me suddenly and I felt completely drained, physically. Like something had zapped my energy source. You could say it's all in my head...I guess it was! But I felt completely limp.

I had lunch with Grammie and was polishing cabinets for her (one of the awesome little jobs God has given me!), and I mustered myself to finish that, and it was fine. I went swimming for a short time afterward, thinking that might be energizing, but then went home and ate some cereal. Then I went upstairs and did what I really, at the bottom of my heart, was hungry to do. I shut Laila out of my room and got on my bed, then opened up to Proverbs and read for a while. The only verse I remember now was the first one I read, from chapter 21:

"The kings heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it whereever He wishes."

It reminded me that whoever is in authority over me at any time whether people I work for, customs workers, government officials, pastors and teachers, my Mom and Dad, are all under God's authority. Usually my authorities are working for my good and I appreciate them very much, but sometimes I just feel helpless that decisions being made are out of my control. But this verse says that even the king's heart is subject to God. We are not at man's mercy, but God's, and He promises to work out all things for our good.

I'm not sure if that concept was even part of my struggle today, but somehow it comforted me, so I laid down and went to sleep, knowing I was right there with the Lord. When I woke up, I still felt bad physically, but I had so much worship in my heart for Him! I know I can go through whatever is ahead with a faithful heart.

While we swam at our cousin's above-ground pool earlier today, I got to see Ethan in action for the first time. Real pool action. He got right in without a floatation device of any kind and start playing around. He's finally tall enough to stand in the pool without being completely immersed. It's such a shock to see him in there like that after the past summers (even the beginning of this one!) when he spent the whole swim time basically trying to avoid getting wet. We played Marco Polo and then made a whirlpool. Mary and Ethan amused themselves by hanging on my neck like monkeys. It wore me out after a while, but it's kind of nice to spend some time being clung to by small beings under four feet tall. I rarely go up to swim with them.

Got to go now...I've overshot my time limit...