Roulain and John 3 :16

For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16, NIV). This was my scripture verse on my desk when I got here.  I don't know about you....but this week has been Monday, then Tuesday, which we all know is Monday's ugly step-sister....and here I am on Wednesday.  Will this week ever end?  This morning I woke up to the dark....just like I do every morning during the school year.  I laid there for a few minutes and just tried to gather my wits.  Last night was a night of good sleep.....but today is one of those days. You know what I mean. The minute I opened my eyes, I could feel the weight of the darkness. All I wanted to do was pull the covers over my head and pray that the world would go away and leave me alone. But it won’t...and I won't.  My students in Spanish II have a test today and I have to get to school so I can run copies for my three Spanish II classes. I could be retired....but I am not ready for that.... I have responsibilities – deadlines to meet, people who are counting on me, and things I need to get done.  So I do what I always do on those days. I take a deep breath, cry out to God for the strength to get out of bed, and literally make myself get up. That is the first victory of the day. Yes! I then get dressed – another victory – and even though each step feels like I am walking through quicksand, I keep walking, thanking God for winning this battle.  I have a precious daughter-in-law, Roulain, who has more days like this than I can imagine. I really don’t know how she lives her life. Well, I do. Her faith in God is amazing.  Roulain has some huge mountains to climb … I am talking serious, as a mother of not just one....but two children who are Downs Syndrome. Roulain is an awesome wife, the mother of four wonderful children that I call grands, and grandmother to one precious little girl, Brooklyn.... and the awesome thing about Roulain is that she does it all with a smile on her face and a sense of humor second to none. Roulain loves her Lord.  I love her. Her faith challenges me to be a better person and Christian.  Roulain always seems to know when friends or family are having a bad day.  Roulain deserves every good day she can get! And then when I least expect it she will ask me how I am. She is an encourager to me but most of all.... she is a prayer warrior times ten.  She was not always this way and I am so glad that I have seen her spiritual growth.  I know God’s love does great works in our lives. God’s love can change the ugliness of life into a beautiful picture of grace. Love covers the scars of sin. Love heals wounds and eases pain.  The love of God is unconditional and unfailing and will stubbornly pursue us no matter where we go, no matter what we do or don’t do. God’s love satisfies the deepest longings of our soul, enables us to love ourselves, and frees us to love others.  God’s love shows up in big ways … but sometimes it is when God’s love shows up in little ways that He really gets to me. When I am with Roulain....or not with her....I can see visibly that God is real ... He is faithfully present, and the greatest thing of all is that He really does care about every minute detail of my life.