Desperate for Strength, Help and Rest

I just finished chapter one of Desperate, by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson, and I find myself in tears. So easily I see that I can forgot that God is ever-present. These wonderful ladies share two verses at the end of the chapter, that I want to share as well today.

Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

These verses have touched my life today, just where I am: a frustrated mom up at 5AM with a three year-old, a restless night of sleep because of the same three year old, weary of the endless effort to create and maintain a clean home, which ultimately leaves me frustrated and weary with myself for failing yet again at the supermom, superwife, superfriend juggling act.

However, feeling absolutely trodden and in a slump of depression, their words and those verses have picked me up. In all honesty, if you suffer from depression, I still have that dull depression that lingers, but I have more hope today, for the now. Looking more closely at those verses, I prayed that God would strengthen me, help me, uphold me, and give me much-needed rest in Him today. I have hope that although the house isn't perfectly clean, Caedmon took a nap an hour late, and I still have more to do beyond this blog post before Adam gets done at work (laundry, cleaning, prep dinner), God is right here with me, right now, giving me the strength, the hope, the rest and refreshment I needed.  And, because of this great promise and great hope in Him, I could not help but take a few moments to share this with you, my few but wonderful friends and readers. Take a moment today and really soak in those two verses, and thank our God and Savior who does not leave us and abandon us in our moment when we feel like failures and the struggles of life, whether work, motherhood, or marriage.

Dear Lord, I ask today that you would be with those that read this, allow them to feel refreshed by your Word, in which there is such blessing. You are the giver of strength, of help, of support, of rest; may we turn to you today and feel your presence in the midst of our every day. In Jesus' name, Amen!

THANK YOU to the dear ladies who wrote Desperate; it is a must read if you have the time, even without little ones, I feel their wisdom and biblical reminders are like little shots of espresso in a moment of need (I like coffee). So, if you are in the market for and uplifting read, a book of encouragement when you are desperate, this is the book for you!