Overwhelmed with Thanksgiving

Here I am, sitting in the quiet, with a newborn sweetly sleeping in his swing, and two toddlers (hopefully) sleeping in their beds.  Both girls are actually in their own beds today, in the same room, so the silence is miraculous! for the past two weeks there has been a stomach bug, an allergic reaction, 4 staples in a 2 year olds head, impetigo, and the flu. overwhelming is a good word to sum it all up.  The list of ailments seems never ending and there have been moments, many moments when the task of motherhood has been overwhelming.  I am left to sit and wonder how it is that i have been blessed with so much weight and responsibility.  three little lives depend on me, and the weight of that can be more than i can bear, more than i can shoulder, more than i can even comprehend.  but as a dear friend reminded me this week, that is the point!  I cannot bear the weight of motherhood on my own and until i realize this, i will be overwhelmed by responsibility, by demands and often by guilt at my incompetence.  So during this overwhelming time i will choose to pray constantly and lay my cares at the feet of my Saviour.  I will also choose to look beyond my circumstances, that seem out of control, and grasp hold of one thing i can control, my heart.  I will choose to not be overwhelmed by my circumstances, but to be overwhelmed with thanksgiving.  i will be thankful that the stomach bug was short-lived and only the girls got it.  I will be thankful that more damage wasn't done by Eloise's fall, and that we have competent doctors that can stitch her back together.  I will be thankful that during sickness, and sleeplessness and anxiousness that God is still sovereign and His grace is still sufficient.   Even in trials there is so much to be thankful for, all good gifts come from above (James 1:17).  and as one of my favorite quotes says "you have to thank God for the seemingly good and the seemingly bad because really, you don't know the difference" - Jennie Allen, Anything.  so I will choose to remember that even though all these ailments seem to be bad in nature, God is still in control and using these things to sanctify my heart, which is good in nature.  So I will press onward, past the overwhelming towards thanksgiving.