A Few More P's

**If you haven't read my last post, you may want to before reading this.

My dryer gave out this morning. Just went kaputt. The only thing it puts out is an atrocious buzz. No heat. No comforting humming. Just BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

We have major medical bills.

I have a goal to write a book in the next year.

I homeschool a boy with learning difficulties.

And as you know, I struggle with chronic illness.

Those are some of the major obstacles in my life. I didn't even mention others that I'd rather not share.

I need a pick me up. Perhaps a piece of chocolate. A poofy pillow? Better yet ... a poofy blankey, pillow, and a plank of chocolate ... a la book.

Or maybe what I need is a large portion of perserverance.

Perserverance.

The word kind of makes me want to run. After all, I'm an American, and I'd like to have it my way, right now, please. I'd like to have my illness (zap!) gone with the swallow of a pill. I'd like that book to be written by tomorrow. I'd like someone to just come deliver a dryer to me, paid in full. Oh, and could you add a washer too? I've not liked mine for quite some time.

The dryer was just the straw that broke this camel's back this morning. After a lengthy discussion last night with Shaun about how to best pay off our medical debt, the last thing I wanted to find on my plate was wet clothes.

I'm reading Luke in my devotions, and I am always amazed at how Jesus prayerfully perservered. When things got too hectic for him, what did He do? He went and hid and prayed. Then He got up, and went about His Father's business. He didn't pull Himself up by His boot straps, He prayed. Asked for strength. Asked for His Father's will to be done. Then He went out in perserverance and the strength that His Father granted Him, and continued His ministry.

I'm not trying to compare my faulty dryer to Jesus' ministry. I'm just making a parallel between what He did and how He dealt with the roller coaster of life and how I need to deal with the roller coaster of life:

With prayer and perserverance.

Sounds easy. But in this world, there is no easy button. If there was, you better believe I'd be running to Staples so fast it'd make your head whirl.

Shame on you, Staples, for getting my hopes up.

Instead, God wants me to first, pray to Him. And second, perservere in my problems.

What would quitting do?

If He quit, we'd be getting what we deserved in eternal damnation.

If I quit, I'd have a boy who can't function in life, a blank slate for a book, and a bad credit score ... all while donning some funky smellin' clothes!

So as I write this, I determine in my heart and my actions to prayerfully perservere in all things that God has decided to grace my plate with. The prayer comes from my heart, the perserverance comes from my actions.

I will write a little bit each day.

I will continue to teach my child.

I will continue to do for my body what it responds best to, even though it is mundane and lacks any eating pleasure whatsoever.

I will shop for a dang good deal on a dryer that will best suit our wants needs.

I will pray!

I will perservere!

And I'll do it all out here on the Prairie, where the buffaloes roam!!!

Yeehaaaw and a Merry Christmas to all my Lovely Lurkers!!!

The Prayin', Perserverin' Little Housewife on the Prairie,

~Brenda