When the Going Gets Tough....

You know how bad things seem to happen in clusters? You can't just stub your toe. You have to then, in the process of hopping about in pain, step on an errant lego piece with your unhurt foot, which effectively takes you down where you bruise your knee. It never fails. Me, I grit my teeth, and huff and puff and usually try to blow it off. I'll hobble back to bed, and maybe sigh at how clumsy I am. The next morning I can tell my husband the crazy night wandering I had was a near death experience and laugh. Then, it's all okay.

But sometimes, bad things seem to happen over and over, and you wonder if you'll ever get a break. It's happened often in my life. I try to have that enduring faith that God has a purpose for the direction my life is taking. That the bumps are character building, and pushing me to prove my devotion. One time in particular, was a family experience. I kept telling my husband and kids, "Keep praying! God is looking out for us, and it's all going to be okay." but it didn't turn out the way I thought it would. I didn't understand for a year why, but then, things were slowly looking up. I let go of what I thought should have been and realized it wasn't meant to be. That God had better things in store for us. The excitement of the change of course God made, was amazing.... then I stubbed my toe again.

That's life. Nothing stays on a plateau for long. The tide never stays in. Eventually, you have to go down and the tide rolls out. The trick is not continuing to fall or be drawn out into sea. You have to fight the current. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start climbing again. Every time you do, you get stronger. You grow closer to a God who doesn't let you settle for just you, but pushes you to be the best you.

I'm in a valley right now. It feels cold and dark. I'm not sure how I will get out, because I lost some of my resources. Still, I know I have to keep going. Because if I give up, then the ones around me, who are counting on my strength will lose hope and I cannot let that happen. Every choice we make creates a ripple and effects someone around us. If our choice is a poor one, without even knowing it, we can hurt someone who needs our strength, courage, perseverance. I haven't always been the strong one. Sometimes I need someone to be strong for me. But when there is no one physically near, I have to learn to trust in God. Because He is the only one who won't fail me.