One Step Forward Two Steps Back

It's been an emotional week. But also very interesting, I am sixteen and my life is now really starting to blossom. I am getting my licence, looking for a job, and also trying to live my life as Godly as possible, striving to show in my actions and words that I am a child of God. I have changed so much since I accepted God into my heart, and my deeds and actions have shown this to me and to others. But the other day I stumbled, I was having a bad day and I let that be an excuse to be in a bad mood, I was having a hard time keeping myself from snapping at one of my siblings, and I knew in my heart I shouldn't be acting this way, was this the way a child of God acted? Sullen and grumpy, no, and I knew it. And what happened later that night was no help, it was my turn to clean the kitchen and the dishwasher was full and hadn't been started, and the counters piled high with what looked like the entire contents of our cupboards. Standing there staring I felt simply like curling up and crying, I was hurt because of the indifference of my siblings that I had to clean up the mess they left behind them and that fact I was going to be washing a lot of dishes. For almost half an hour I stood at the sink washing dishes and grumbling in my heart. Then I suddenly was hit with a sense of extreme guilt, I was acting like a child, and had cleaned the kitchen before when the entire contents of the counters really had been piled on the counters. I was acting immature and ungodly, so after realizing this I began to sing Amazing Grace quietly to myself. Still feeling a connection to that song as I am still a young new believer. So switching between a few of my favorite hymns such as, How Firm A Foundation, It is Well with my Soul, This is my Fathers World, and Holy, Holy, Holy I began to feel my spirit lift, I squashed the anger and discontentment and smiled again. I praised God in my heart and in my words for the rest of the time I spent in the kitchen, my entire attitude changed simply from the singing of hymns and praying silently to myself. It amazed me at how the quiet praise and prayer could change someone attitude and demeanor. God taught me a lesson that day, and just a few hours before at our church my Pastor had preached about how God will send trials. He will test our faith and our strength. Though the simple job of cleaning the kitchen may not sound so much like a trial, it was an ongoing one for me. I had never liked cleaning the kitchen and I dreaded doing it, and God used my specific dislike of something to test me and show me that I can always find strength in Him to do anything, even something as small as a home duty. "Praise the Lord Oh my Soul......."