I received this as an e-mail yesterday. It meant a lot to me and so I thought I would share it with my readers. It was one of those days...where the storms of life were getting me down. Why do we think we think we can fix our problems? Now, don't get me wrong...I don't think God is going to reach down and do my MT homework for me, homeschool Jacob when he doesn't want to work, or get Matthew to listen. I'm talking about those problems in life where there is not an easy answer. Such as a relationship that is broken...you have done everything you know how to do to make it right and it is still not enough. I'm talking about a relationship with a person who is mentally ill. In this case, the person will not admit or recognize they have a problem. It has broke our hearts many times and there is no end in sight.

God has been there with Troy and I, during every painful and gut wrenching moment and He will continue to do so. (I don't mention the name of this person, to protect them.)

For those of you who know the pain of a broken relationship, whatever the reason. Know that, Jesus is right there beside you...carrying you if necessary. He will never leave you or forsake you.

I hope you enjoy this story and find comfort in the scripture that I included at the end.

LORD, PROP US UP

Every time I am asked to pray, I think of the old deacon who always prayed, Lord, prop us up on our leanin' side.After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently.

He answered, 'Well sir, you see, it's like this...I got an old barn out back.It's been there a long time, it's withstood a lot of weather, it's gone through a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years. It's still standing. But one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit.So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn't fall.

Then I got to thinking about that and how much I was like that old barn.I've been around a long time. I've withstood a lot of life's storms. I've withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I've withstood a lot of hard times, and I'm still standing too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop us up on our leaning side, cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning, at times.

Sometime we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness,leaning toward hatred, leaning toward cussing, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't. So we need to pray, 'Lord, prop us up on our leaning side, so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Lord.

If you look closely at this picture of the barn…you will see the One who holds us up.

Romans 5:1-5

1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.