That awkward moment when you have a break down in your local Wal-Mart.

Yeah, that was me this week. It had been several weeks since I had a good night’s sleep. Most nights, I was up with baby girl every 40 minutes or so. Sometimes we’d make it a little over an hour, but not much longer. There were a couple ‘good’ nights thrown in there, but they were few and far between… leaving me exhausted! Then this week we had to make a visit to the doctor due to some skin issues baby girl was having. We were prescribed some medicines and went home. I went back out later to pick up the prescriptions at Wal-Mart. I waited in line behind two other people. It was finally my turn, and when I got there, the lady asked if I had insurance. I told her yes, and I realized they didn’t have my updated information. She took it to the other worker and said it would be about 10 minutes while they put it through. I waited around until they called my name. I went back up only for her to tell me my insurance wouldn’t even cover it. The two medicines together rang up to be about $65. Money was a little tighter than usual this week… and I was tired…. and I was feeling defeated that baby girl was even having to deal with this… and the tears came. I tried to hold them back, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to be crying, but I found myself standing there unable to control it.

Thankfully, the workers were kind. The pharmacist came over and told me that the one medicine (which was the most expensive) could actually be purchased over the counter. It was more expensive because it was a prescription. I thanked him, got what I needed, and left.

Anyone else ever try to hold it together but come unraveled in public?

I try to hold it together, but sometimes I crack under the pressure. That’s ok though because while I may be pressed, but I WILL NOT be crushed.

In the past, I have allowed myself to be crushed by focusing too much on the problem. This time, I am focusing more on the prayer… and taking the time to not just pray, but to also worship. It’s easy to skip that when I’m facing problems. I start praying, which is certainly the right thing to do, but often times I jump to asking for help and only barely acknowledge I’m entering the presence of the Creator.

He is a good Father, but am I being a good child? What is it that stops us sometimes from doing what we know we should do? This morning, I started the day listening to worship music. I was reminded how good that makes me feel and I wondered, why don’t I do this every day? I know it makes such a difference, yet I find other things to do or get sidetracked.

I have heard and use the acronym ACTS when it comes to praying: Acknowledge, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. I think this is a good way to also model my day. Start it with acknowledging God and welcoming Him into each day. Recognize and confess my sins immediately. Be purposefully thankful and look for things to find joy in. End the day in prayer for others and then myself. I think that I may just find that if I spend more time on the first three, instead of rushing through them, my problems might seem a little smaller… and it might even help prevent some future awkward moments.