Am I the only one?--Or do other mothers battle those nagging thoughts of what lousy parents they are? Do others feel as insufficeient as I do?

Do others feel guilty for not doing enough for their children, not providing for them or guiding and inspiring them as much as they'd like to?

My head was full of this condemning, downward mind pattern while en route to the hospital one morning with my husband. He had suffered a heart attack a month before and was going for a day of further tests on his weakened body. If it weren't enough to keep up with our five daughters, I thought, now Alf also needs help and care till he fully recovers. I could barely give the girls what they need, and now this! My heart, mind, and spirit were overloaded, to say the least.

Alf went in for his tests, while I prayed for him in the waiting room. Our thirty years as full-time Christian volunteers is catching up with us now at age 50. My anxious thoughts crowded out prayer. Overwhelmed, discouraged, and just plain tired of "fighting the good fight of faith," as the Bible calls it, I was exhausted to tears.

It was then that the Lord's still, small voice spoke sweetly and clearly to my heart. He knew I needed Him right then and there, and do you know what He said? "Look up! Lift up your every thought. Now turn each one into a prayer, and praise Me."

Thank You, wonderful Jesus! Immediately I felt calm and reassured--as well as convicted in my heart that I was, well, complaining, when God has been so extra good to our family and provided wonderfully for us throughout our years of serving Him, despite not having secular jobs. I saw visions of our girls' happy faces, with the joy of the Lord shining through. Memories of the many times God had healed members of our family left me ashamed for ever doubting that He'd do the same for my husband now. I've been fretting about my family and simply not trusting You as I should--and I know better, I told the Lord in a silent prayer. Please forgive. You have never failed me, and I know You never will.

In one short talk with Jesus, everything was okay. I had that perfect peace that His Words always give me when I stop to pray, to ask for His help and get His answers. It always works.

"There's someone upstairs who needs a hug. She needs encouragement, and she needs it right now. Go!"

But He wasn't done yet.

"Upstairs," He whispered in my ear. "There's someone upstairs who needs a hug. She needs the same encouragement you just received from Me, and she needs it right now. Go!"

Shaken from my seat as well as my thoughts, I soon found myself upstairs in the x-ray department waiting room. Just as I entered, my eyes met Vivian's. Vivian is a wonderful Christian nurse we had spoken with for two hours on our last visit to the hospital. She loved the Activated magazines and looked forward to receiving more. But instead of the expected warm greeting, she looked at me and burst into tears.

I took her in my arms as she wept and held on tight. "My kid... my family...," she sputtered. "It's just so hard..." Now I was crying too. She didn't need to explain at all.

"Sweet Vivian, it sure is hard at times. I know. God knows too, and He wants us to look to Him for strength and help. Trusting Him shows our love and faith in Him and Him alone." There was really no need to preach or even talk. We just stood there in the waiting room and held each other.

The voice of His Word then spoke to my own heart: God comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those [others] in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:4 NIV). Suddenly I realized why I had needed to fight "motherhood blues" that day: so I could learn to overcome them through faith and prayer and hearing from the Lord, and so I could be there to help someone else who was going through the same thing.

Alf appeared in the doorway and greeted Vivian and me with a huge smile. "The doctor says I look great and am healing up fast! Isn't it wonderful to trust the Lord?"

"Thank you for being here when I needed you most." Vivian was beaming now. "I sure needed that hug!"

"I did too!" was my reply. Vivian was deeply touched when I told her that when I had been waiting downstairs, Jesus told me to personally deliver that special heartfelt hug from Him. It was all His idea to help heal us both!