I had a great opportunity this weekend to spend some quality time with kid #4.  With 5 kids, it’s a rare treat to get them to myself.  But Haven and I and a friend of hers went to an overnight camp for a Mother/Daughter experience to introduce her to camp.  We stayed in a cabin, ate in the dining hall, played games, went canoeing and swimming.  The whole bit.

The girls were so excited to be old enough.  The tender age of 6.  They were bouncing off the walls.  Until I made them carry their own sleeping bags down the gravel road to the cabin.  Suddenly they were tired.  Until it was time for games.  But then there was the walk to the dining hall and their legs hurt.  But they thought for sure they could stay up until midnight.  Hmmm.  I see a pattern here.

I, on the other hand, KNEW I was tired before I even got there.  Throw in a full schedule, a cabin of 7 giggling little girls and their moms/grandmas, sudden bouts of tiredness from my kid, a snoring mom, a hard mattress, a bathroom light shining in my eyes while I tried to sleep and a kid with an awful night-time cough and there was no doubt I was really tired by the time we got home the next evening.

When I’m physically wiped out like that, it seems Satan wants to thrash me good.  It’s a perfect time for him to come after me and tramp on my emotions and kick me in the gut spiritually.  The next time you find yourself snappy at everyone because you’re so beat, stop and recognize it’s more than tiredness.  It’s the devil.  Resist the temptation to be irritable with everyone around you.  Go get some sleep (sometimes your best weapon) then spend some time with the Lord.  And be sure to tell Satan to hit the road because he isn’t welcome.  But even if sleep isn’t happening for you……….God is.  He’s always on your side and He’s cheering you toward victory today.

James 4:7-8 – “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you”.