Missy snapped out of it shortly after I wrote the post. We were working hard to prepare for the Sabbath and she did her share. Fridays are busy.... 6 loaves of bread baked by Christina and 3 by me. One batch of granola bars by Brianna and another kind by Vanessa. Christina baked cookies. Vanessa made pea soup and I made asparagus soup while my two batches of gluten-free muffins baked in the oven. We made a huge batch of granola and organized cupboards, washed a ton of dishes, and mopped the floor. Christina was on  laundry duty and Brianna cleaned bathrooms. We filled the food dryer with bananas and vacuumed the house and bought groceries. Missy had one job after another to keep her occupied and she forgot to be miserable. She had a lovely time with the company in the evening and fell asleep content with her place in our family and life.

A new day dawned with a promise of good things. Hugs and good mornings and cheery words....

and then...

oh brother!!!!  

I can sense a control game and dishonesty long before I actually know what's going on and it took me almost an hour to put my finger on the button, but I was in high alert and just knew... 

And I let it get to me.

All the patience I had in the last week... that was all used up, and I cried. The Lord doesn't run out, but somehow I failed to  receive the grace to maintain a calm interior and the interior cracked and bled all over the exterior. Suddenly the trial was no longer about a little girl who desires to pull the strings and be in control, it was about me failing to have the victory necessary to hide in Christ and let the billows roll...

Lucky for Missy, she decided, after being seated in on the bench in the hall, that the issue wasn't worth the fight and she made a 180 degree turn around. 

As for me, I know that I must keep my eyes fixed on Christ and learn the lessons He is trying to teach me more thoroughly so that when this same trial comes around again - and you know without a doubt that it will, I will not be moved.