By the Grace of God

It is now Tuesday after what was possibly one of the busiest weeks of the year. Needless to say I was stressing out a little… a lot a bit. The week was busy enough as it was, but it was the weekend I was dreading. The whole ordeal felt a little like a roller coaster with the peak above the clouds. I was strapped in for this ride, and there was no getting off. Every inch closer to the top, the more worried I became that I couldn’t do it. Then Friday came along…

I woke up to Robbie knocking on my door asking me if I needed to be up. I looked at the clock and to my dismay found out that I had slept through my alarm. The thrill ride that was this weekend had officially started it’s fast decent downwards. With the help of God I was able to get dressed and to my school visit only 1 minute late. That’s when I remembered who I was working for, who my true boss was. I almost forgot in all my stress and worry that I had God on my side. The pit in my stomach had almost immediately disappeared. The downward spiral of the rollercoaster had flattened out, and I was excited for the rest. For all the sharp turns, the loops, the jerking of the rollercoaster slamming you into your friends.

With God on my side I had the courage to face this! I trusted that he would get me through this. After the school visits I had an overnight retreat and I was the Team Leader (the team member who makes sure everything goes off without a hitch, and fix something if it does go wrong.) I was worried that I wouldn’t be good enough, that I would mess everything up looking at this weekend beforehand. I started praying that God would give me the skills necessary to do such an important job. While there were a couple of loops; I was able to throw my hands in the air and enjoy it more than anything. I left that retreat with a smile on my face. Energized for the next retreat early in the morning.

That Sunday morning started off rough to say the least. I had forgotten important papers for the retreat, I couldn’t find the projector, and I slipped on the slick ice outside (my shoulder still hurts from that *sad face*). I was being jerked back and forth in the coaster car, and I knew immediately that I was under some sort of spiritual attack. So I prayed. I prayed for joy, for energy, for laughter, and that the Lord would protect us all on our retreat. He did just that! The retreat was just as fun and enjoyable as the first one! I don’t want to toot my own horn, but toot toot dang it! I was getting compliments on my talk left and right from the students and chaperones. After the retreat had ended Chelsea and I went straight to UWGB to set up for mass, and to socialize. The lord even granted me energy and joy during this. After UWGB I was finally done. But I still ended up hanging out with teammates until Midnight!

 I had done it! The restraints on the roller coaster were lifting, and I was off the ride. Unbelievably I made it through, and I had a huge grin! I forgot that I had God on my side, I let this weekend look bigger than God… I didn’t have faith at first. Then I turned to him. I trusted him. I asked him to help me through this. He not only helped me through this, but he got me through with a smile on my face and laughter in my heart! I was able to ride this roller coaster of a weekend, I was able to survive it all, but only by the Grace of God.