IN TIMES OF TROUBLE PUT ON A SILLY HAT

Moms in Prayer -- Donna, Me, Joyce celebrating Joyce's birthday

Cousins celebrating our birthdays at Loon Lake.  Danny, Dorothy, me, Kathy, Charlie

"Where did that truck go?" I say.   You might ask, "What truck?" "The one that just hit me," I reply.  

No, a truck did not hit me but I felt like one had.  The stress of financial problems, difficult people, house, children, and on top of that chronic pain; every muscle in my body hurt.  The fibromyalgia pain caused adrenaline and stress hormones to surge through my body.  Calm down I told myself.  Exercise I told myself.  Get the good endorphins going. But no I was not going to be able to do this on my own.  I had been to pain clinics, physical therapy, naturopaths, and every other treatment.  What I needed was God's peace in my life.

Prayer was the only answer.  My friends in my Moms in Prayer group prayed for me.  The prayer chain at church prayed for me. I read through the Bible and claimed God's promises in prayer.  Finally I asked God to cause the stings and barbs that pricked me each day to roll off my back like water off of a duck's back.  My daughter told me to ignore the negative things some people said to me.  It worked.  I began to have peace.

Some other things I would do to combat the negative thoughts in my mind are these ---I would go into a toy store and read through Mary Engelbreits calendar sayings.  I'd stop at the perfume samples in the drug store and smell each one.  I'd listen to my favorite music.  Bird listening and watching outside my window would bring joy to my heart.  I started collecting cards with pictures of two chairs on a beach, overlooking water.  I imagined myself sitting in one of those chairs.  And yes, I would wear silly hats. We know that God has provided every good thing and He wants us to enjoy them.  (Ecclesiastes 5: 19 Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God.)

I'm still not peaceful all the time but I'm more peaceful now than in the past.  Here are the Psalms I pray back to God.

But you, O Lord, do not be far off!  O you my help, come quickly to my aid!  (Psalm 22:19)  Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation! (Psalm 38:22)

Be pleased, O Lord to deliver me!  O Lord, make haste to help me!  (Psalm 40:13)

You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! (Psalm 40:17)

Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me! (Psalm 70:1)

But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God!  You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay! (Psalm 70:5)

O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! (Psalm 71:12)

O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! (Psalm 141:1)