Guest Post From Sue Donaldson

 

I want to introduce to my newer subscribers my delightful friend from California- Sue Donaldson. She has been so kind and helpful to me as I started blogging a little over a year ago. Sue took it upon herself to offer  hindsight, suggestions and encouragement to me as I was a newbie to this digital world. She befriended me when I really needed a friend to come along side me as I sought to follow God in an unknown direction. This really speaks of her generous nature, which should come as no surprise to those who know her heart. Sue has a passion for hospitality and encouraging others to do so as well. Please check out her website welcomeheart.com and “like” her Facebook page “Welcome Heart, Welcome Home”. These are great resources to book Sue as a speaker for your next women’s event as well! 

 

 

Strength–We Need It!  (We May Also Need to Go On a Woman’s Retreat)

Somehow the topic of needing strength came to me around midnight one night—it seemed appropriate: we need strength because we’re exhausted.

We may be doing too much, with not enough help and never enough money or time – and, then there’s the laundry.

One thing I thought would be fun is for each of us to share stories that began with the line: “I was so tired once that I . . .” You fill in the blank!

My mom used to say: “I was so tired that I’d go to bed with my ears ringing . . .” She worked hard. Rarely had a housekeeper and raised five kids. (Bless her.) She was very sympathetic whenever I complained of exhaustion.

Awhile back I was so tired that when I decided to take some Advil, I turned on the bathroom faucet to get a glass of water, and I placed the whole bottle of Costco-sized Advil under the water instead of the glass! It’s okay though because they are candy coated, so now they are in BIG clumps for really BIG headaches. (I need a nap.)
I found a great ad about vitamins:

“I am tired. I am stressed. I am woman.”

It made me think of that old song:

“I am woman, let me roar.”

I prefer my words:

“I am woman, let me sleep.”

Or one that’s good for women’s retreats:

“I am woman, let me snore.”

 

I love women’s retreats, don’t you? I don’t necessarily get body-rest, but I do get soul-rest and time away from my dailies to listen to God and be refreshed.

I loved the prayer my sister-in-law gave me:

So far today, God, I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped, I haven’t lost my temper. I haven’t been grumpy, nasty or selfish. I’m really glad of that. But in a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed, and from then on, I’m probably going to need a lot of help. Amen.

I need to stencil it on our bedroom ceiling so it’s the first thing I see in the morning. And with the new kind of eyesight God provides at this stage of life, it would be just the right distance away.
This prayer says it all:

I am weak, He is strong
I can’t do it alone, He wants me to ask for help
I need God, God loves me. Amen.

The advantage of knowing I’m weak is that I pray this prayer more often. The up side of an exhausting day is that I call for help on a regular basis. There’s something about bleary eyes and tired headaches that drive me to seek God continually.

 

And that’s a good thing.

Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. I Chronicles 16:11 NLT

 

What verse do you run to when you can no longer run? Share in comments and we’ll all be stronger for it.