Copy Cat

I hate to be a copy cat . . . really I do, but I can't help it! It seems that Alicia at la famille and I have been on the same wavelength lately.
I have been hit with a bit of a bug. It is quite unpleasant and has hung on for weeks. It is a "comparing myself to everyone else and always coming up short" bug. I'm not proud of this, since I know that I have nothing to complain about, but I'm throwing it out there as further evidence that I am not, in fact, Super Wife/Mom.
At Alicia's recommendation, I bought a copy of "Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow. It is a Bible-based woman's guide to finding contentment.

Usually I am quite content, but this bug has taken contentment from me. In many ways, I am thankful to be home with my children. BUT, when the laundry and dishes are endless, the crying and fighting constant, the toys are hitting the wall, and the "MOOOOOOMMMM"s never stop, I start to get a teensy-eensy bit resentful of my husband who is living out his dream career. I also start to think that every other mom and her children must have it all together, unlike our family. But, here's the scary part. I don't have a real desire to go back to teaching (my former dream career) when the time comes either. That's what, as Landen would say, "freaks me out."
I enjoyed every part of "Calm My Anxious Heart" and will refer back to it. It is full of Biblical wisdom. As I was reading, I realized how these quotes and readings were overlapping in my life--daily mass readings, Sunday readings, and the book. I started to realize God REALLY wanted me to get this message!
Here are a couple of my favorite images:
1. Psalm 16:5 "Lord, you have assigned my portion and my cup. You have made my lot secure." We all have different cups and different portions. The one I have has been given to me by God. It doesn't matter how it differs from others; it is the one I am meant to have.
2. On the difficult days/weeks/years, I need to remember that it will not be that way forever. I liked Andrew Murray's prayer, "I am here (1) by God's appointment, (2) in his keeping, (3) under his training, (4) for His time."
3. He will present the next step of the journey in His time.
The events of the past days have helped in calming my heart, too--a wonderful time with my sister at a women's conference on Saturday, spending quality time with my husband and family, and my mother-in-law's generous offer to take all three kids home with her last night.
Ahh . . . things are looking up.