Life, love, joy - these things are human desires we hold dear. There are others, but these are the ones under which most others fall.
In
relationships, we struggle with these things. Life becomes monotonous when
there’s no extra money or time or imagination for extras, love unsuccessfully binds people together when uncertainty reigns, and joy falls victim to the
failings of both.
I
have struggled with holding onto these three things at times. Juggling all
three can be a feat.
We
are too easily swayed by blaming. She drags me down; he doesn’t treat me well;
if we had more, we’d be happy. It’s always someone else’s responsibility.
How
many times is life unbearable because of someone else’s behavior? As a
parent, I sheepishly admit that my kids have ruined my day more times than they
should. An adult whose mood is dictated by the whims of toddlers and snarky
kids is an adult who is unhappy most of the time. Kids are learning life
alongside their parents, and the job of parents is to teach them. When we allow our kids
rule our lives, we all suffer.
Likewise,
I have been swayed by my husband’s moods. How many perfectly fine days of my
own have been marred by his bad day at work? A lovely evening can end up in the
gutter when one person is down in the dumps.
The
fact that I am so readily influenced by the meanness of life really grates
on my nerves. After I’m finished being annoyed at the external source of my
pain, I turn on myself. I am weak-minded, soft-hearted, thin-skinned. Buck up –
jeez. It’s their problem, not mine. My job is to support them, to model life,
love, and joy so they can be positively influenced, not dive into the hole with
them and shove them out of the way to dig deeper.
Do
you see something missing?
It’s
God. God is there, waiting patiently while we struggle, wishing to pluck off
the blinders we firmly planted over our eyes. I’m here, guys, says God. All the
time.
We
miss seeing him sometimes.
Not
seeing the forest for the trees is my specialty. I get so bogged down into
daily tasks that I forget why I’m living this life. Daily tasks are wearisome
and frustrating. But when I focus on the source of these tasks and the author
of my life in them, they become bearable. I’m not at the point where scrubbing
toilets brings me joy, but I believe it can happen.
Everything
that God gives us is good, not the least of which are life, love, and joy. Our
world can’t help but bring bad things and feelings into our lives because of
its brokenness. That’s not God’s fault. It’s the fault of imperfect choices made by
imperfect people. People change and make questionable choices over
circumstances and time, and power is fleeting, along with things like good health,
freedom, and security – all things that we wrongly choose to trust. Stress and
negativity result from misguided trust and the failings of others. It happens
to all of us.
I
hope to achieve a place in my faith where feelings and actions occur through
the filter of God’s love and strength. I don’t have this strength on my own, as
evidenced by all the times I allow the bad stuff to infiltrate my demeanor. All the good stuff comes from him. As I continue to learn this, I hope and pray that I will
see the life, love and joy that he so freely has given me.
He
has given it to us all.
*******
Dear God,
I am weary in this
world.
Your love sustains me – nothing else.
I look to you with hope
and confidence that you will show me
the treasures you have
given to me.
To all of us.
Teach me to be an
example to others
so that I can be a light
for you and for your love.
Thank you.
Amen.
Did you write that prayer??? It's beautiful! I am printing it out and placing it near my chair where I sit each morning to say a short prayer, well at least I do that on the mornings I'm not rushing off to something. "I’m here, guys, says God. All the time." Now that's something I want to get tattooed on my arm and also on my children (or at least embroidered on their backbacks or laminated into a sticker for their notebooks). I LOVE THIS ALL Andrea. So glad I stopped by today.
ReplyDeleteWow, thank you for the enthusiasm, Julie! It's so reassuring when someone "gets it", you know? You made me smile today, thank you!
DeleteI also should probably say that I do not endorse getting children tattooed. ;)
(and I did write that prayer) :)
DeleteThis is awesome! I really loved, "It’s God. God is there, waiting patiently while we struggle, wishing to pluck off the blinders we firmly planted over our eyes. I’m here, guys, says God. All the time." ❤
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kasia! I imagine God speaks to me in the manner I speak to him - really casually, but totally sincere. :)
Delete