A "Bear" of a Week....

What a crazy week this has been! Have you ever just had one of those weeks where you wanted to hide in a cave? This past week made me understand just what bears must enjoy about hibernation!

Being left alone.... warm.... comfy.... complete contentment!

Yep... this past week, I wish I had been a bear!

They say that when a person lives in another culture they experience "culture shock" about every 90 days. Regardless of how long you have lived this lifestyle, culture shock has a way of getting you when you least expect it!

The funny thing is that nothing pushed me over the edge! I remember friends getting stressed with taxi drivers or one dear friend having a meltdown involving her over priced bottle of Tide Laundry detergent that her 2 year old accidentally spilled... TWICE! Those are the moments we come to expect on occasion.

But for me... there have been no moments of melt downs... no spilled cleaning products... nothing!

Just a week of feeling quite "zombie-like." It was a week where I questioned lots of things about myself.

What is my purpose? Why am I here? (meaning in Venezuela... not on the planet)  Am I being a good enough mother? Are my kids learning enough in homeschool? 

It was one of those weeks where internal feelings collided with the perfection that I wish my life could be but most likely is not. 

As if this wasn't enough to stress about... I have the daily "fun" of dealing with Fibromyalgia & Gluten intolerance. How frustrating to look completely fine on the outside & be so "not fine" on the inside. The Fibromyalgia thing has been a fun ride for 11 years but now that I am "aging gracefully"... let's just say that it visits me with more enthusiasm every day! The Gluten intolerance is a new discovery from over a year ago.

How can God use someone so conflicted & messed up? My crazy issues mixed with my husband's Traumatic Brain Injury from his car accident & Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from his time in service.

What an unlikely pair of misfits! Yet somehow... God still has a plan & purpose for our lives.

Daily we remind ourselves that we are nothing without God.

Daily we encourage one another that the same God that has called us is indeed the same God that will equip us to fulfill his plans & purposes.

Daily we are faced with the reality that neither of us is perfect.

I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Chris & I as well as for our 3 boys.

The Bible says in Proverbs 19:21 that "Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

Regardless of our times of weakness or moments of imperfection, God's purpose for our lives will prevail. All that we have to have is a willing & obedient heart.

Be encouraged that everyone has those days or weeks where they wish they had been born a bear, but if we focus on God's plan & purpose for our lives, those moments will seem small & pass quickly!