When the Devil's Eyelashes keep deflating your spirit

One month, three weeks, four days and eleven hours since our feet planted here in Prineville... and life is hard.  As Jonny said the other night, "Life has not been as hard or overwhelming as it is now."  Which, on one hand is a BLESSING because we know life could be much much much, oh so much worse!  Still, its rough.  We aren't meeting our standard in almost every area of life: marriage, parenting, quiet time, work (Jonny's classroom and mine!), household, finances, etc.  

So... this morning I found myself feeling like a bike tire.  It would make more sense if you knew the bike tire situation over here, in these desert parts of Oregon.  Our bike tires cannot seem to avoid these nasty poky weeds that Rory & Lindsey call "goatheads.".  Wiki says, "It can thrive even in desert climates and poor soil. Like many weedy species, this plant has many common names.... devil's eyelashes, devil's thorn, devil's weed,... or goathead."  It reads on, "thumbtack-like nutlets are a hazard to bicycle tires."  Yeah, so our tires keep going flat!  And if one punctures the skin of your foot!  Oh my gracious!!!  Devil's Eyelashes are a perfect name for them!

Back to my realization this morning- I'm like a flat bike tire who has been bitten by the devil's eyelashes!  lol  When I feel those sad, homesick feelings like I don't belong here, I get deflated, so-to-speak.  Then I get my face in God's word which is like this green goo (tire sealant) we put in the tires.  The tires are then healed!  Funny though, they seem to heal better as you use them right after putting the goo in.  However, in my case, after lots of 'use' I get deflated again.  Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.  
 

This morning I read this from a Billy Graham devo:  "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." -2Thess. 2:16-17.  (Did you hear that!?  ETERNAL encouragement!!)
 

He went on to quote someone who was going through intense sorrow (puts mine into perspective)  :  "In a time like this, there are three courses open to man:  He may give way to despair and become bitter.  He may endeavor to drown his sorrow in drink or in a life of wickedness.  Or he may turn to God."
 

Ack!  I don't want to give way to despair and become bitter!!!  Praying the Comforter will be the sealant (goo) to my heart and give me courage to face the heartache without the ugliness.  In studying Daniel, Beth Moore was saying that in times of trial we should make it our aim to persevere through trials with resolve like Daniel and his three buddies.  When Daniel's three friends were rescued from the fiery furnace, they came out not even smelling like smoke.  I want that!  I'm afraid I already have a smidge of smokiness lingering on me.  Grateful God's mercies are new every morning!  I want to work through these homesick feelings (which I'm thinking are normal and okay) without getting ugly- without smelling like smoke AND without being deflated by so many darn goatheads!!