Trying To Hold It All Together

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

SHARON WAS BARELY HOLDING it together. Her fingers tingled and her mind was fuzzy. She had no idea she was breathing too fast. All she knew was a snowstorm was headed their way, her newborn son had given up sleeping, and her husband’s plane was due to land in an hour. Oh, and there was no food in the house.

Trying to clear her throat from whatever felt lodged in it, Sharon fought against her panic. The Weather Channel droned on the television in the background, taunting her for her lack of preparations. But who could prepare for anything with an infant who refused to sleep!

And why did her husband have to be out of town on a business trip this week?

Sure, his boss had told him he had to go, but one look around the messy house and at her reflection in the hallway mirror and she suspected that he had been relieved to leave for a few days. I wish I could spend a few nights by myself at a hotel, she thought, then immediately felt guilty for wanting to be away from her baby.

All she had ever wanted was to be a mom. But she had no idea it would be so hard. Or involve such little sleep.

Buster, their yellow Lab, came bounding up to Sharon. “No, Buster,” she shouted, startling her son who had just dozed off in the swing.

Buster dropped his ball at Sharon’s feet, bumped his head against her leg, and barked expectantly. Sharon screamed at Buster as she picked up his slobbery ball and threw it as hard as she could, knocking over a lamp.

The dog backed away. The baby started to cry. And Sharon sank to the kitchen floor and wept.

As she sat with her hands covering her eyes, her son’s cries began to subside. Sharon peeked through two fingers.

Buster was standing by the infant swing. The baby’s eyes were fixed on the dog. Buster turned his head toward Sharon.

“Oh, Buster,” she sobbed. “I am so sorry.”

Her Lab, who didn’t know the meaning of holding a grudge, walked over to Sharon and put his head on her shoulder. Sharon held on to the strong dog as she let every fear and anxiety rise to the surface.

With her son sound asleep in the swing, Sharon put on her coat and took Buster outside to play catch.

Minutes later her husband texted to say his plane had landed, and he was going to stop by the store on his way home.

Sharon’s anxiety immediately began to dissipate when she read those words.

This time when Buster dropped his ball at her feet, Sharon kissed his head before tossing the toy.

“My steady, loving, forgiving, and slobbery Buster,” she cooed. “What would I do without you?”

PAWS & PONDER . . .

Why do you think fear and anxiety cause a person to act out in anger and hate? Why can responding in love sometimes feel so difficult? Are you facing a difficult situation today? Ask God to show you how to respond in love.

Paws & Pray

Lord, you are love. Whenever I want to react angrily, please help me to stop and think before I say or do anything. Then give me the words to respond to others in love—in person, on the phone, on social media. Father, I need your discernment to know how to respond lovingly to difficult situations that arise, even today.