Great Plains Daily Devotional for 7/16/2020

Psalm 25: 16-18

Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    for I am lonely and afflicted.
Relieve the troubles of my heart,
    and bring me out of my distress.
Consider my affliction and my trouble,
    and forgive all my sins.

I don’t know about you, but I had different expectations for this season, of working from home. I’m an introvert at heart so the idea of being alone, working from home appealed to me. What I forgot, while wearing my rose-colored, work-from-home glasses, is that I wouldn’t be alone. My 14-year-old daughter would be home with me.

Meredith and I both had different expectations. She thought/thinks I’m at her disposal for everything she needs. I thought/think she should be able to entertain herself. Turns out we were both wrong.

Navigating these choppy waters of reality versus expectation has been hard. There has been some yelling, hurt feelings, tears and time outs (for both of us), but usually one or both of us ends up saying -- or in Meredith’s case, signing -- “I’m sorry.” Now I’m not completely sure if her sorry signs are genuine, a plea to get out of trouble, or in some cases both, for the most part the sorry is accepted and we move on.

The truth is we are both experiencing distress. There has been an enormous disruption in our routines, and it is affecting us in different ways. She wants more and more attention and I want to retreat farther into my own space. I try to recognize when I’m overwhelmed or overstressed and give myself a time out by stepping outside into the sunshine for a few minutes. I’m also learning to stop what I’m doing to give her the one on one time she is requesting. I’m hoping it will look less and less like a game of tug of war and more of a choregraphed dance for two soon. We aren’t there yet.

We are both troubled by the changes around us but with forgiveness, prayer and faith I know we will make it through. I suppose a little expectation management wouldn’t hurt either.

Prayer for Reflection

Genesis 25:19-34
Psalm 119:105-112 or Psalm 25
Romans 8:1-11
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23