Life is busy. This time of year my calendar is filled with weddings, barbecues, birthdays, and graduations. And with each event comes a mountain of tasks.

I don’t know about you, but when my “To-Do” list gets long, I dive into the day and plow through each task as if I could accomplish everything.

Under my own steam.

As if I were in control.

Not Good.

Today was exceptionally noisy.

• Kids are home because it’s summer
• Dog is whining because he wants to play
• A fly is buzzing near my writing chair
• And then my hubby steps in a big wet mess the dog left on our kitchen floor (okay, maybe the dog was whining because he needed to go out)!

A ripple of anger flutters in my chest. Then pressure builds in my ears. I feel my lungs expand and my eyes get wide…

I’m about to lose it.  I am going to snap. I am drowning in the middle of chaos.

One giant sarcastic comment is about to launch directly at my husband. I take aim and…

I deliberately stop and take a breath.

Rey is not the enemy. Rey is not the enemy. Rey is not the enemy.

My husband is not the enemy. He is my ally in this battle for sanity… he will help me survive if I don’t alienate him in this critical moment.

I close the writing project I’ve been wrestling with all day, and gently push the computer away from me – as if to separate me from all the things that I was trying to do, as a solo performer.

Two things I was reminded of today:

1. I wasn’t created to operate in isolation – I needed to turn to God for emergency assistance, and then ongoing support to accomplish whatever HE asked of me.
2. When the kids threaten to push me over the edge, I should look to my husband as a teammate – someone to commiserate with over missteps, and celebrate with over victories.

My help comes from the Lord, the maker of Heaven and Earth.

Psalm 121: 2

And so, I took another breath and made the ultimate sacrifice. I offered to clean up the doggie mess in the kitchen. We were in this together, and I would need his support.

After all, this was just the first week of summer vacation!

Today, treat your husband like an ally instead of the enemy.

Dare you!

Tammy~

 

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