Today I went to church where we were taught by a lady who was absolutely delightful. She talked about how much she tried to help her family stay close to God and I really felt close to God when I listened to her speak (this is why I love to go to church). I thought this lady was classy and must really have it all together- in fact, I figured she had had the most perfect life right up to the very moment I was listening to her speak.
But then she began to recount her experience with her second oldest daughter who had gotten involved with drugs not too many years ago. She recounted the pain she had as her daughter would disappear for months at a time and how, in the end, she felt her greatest duty as a mother was to give the burden of worrying about her daughter to Jesus Christ. She then told us that her daughter had come within an inch of her life before turning her life around, and while it took years and she still suffers from the effects of her drug abuse, she is doing the best she can.
I was deeply moved by this story and felt bad for having assumed this woman's life had no trials or pain. Because we all go through a refiner's fire in our life, and how we choose to view that fire determines how happy we will be in our journey. This woman was a great example to me of the attitude: "Come What May, And Love it!" a saying that originated from the man (an apostle of God) in the video below. The message is simple, direct, and blunt.
I wonder what some of your experiences have been when you have been able to do one or more of the steps described in this video. Hearing other people's experiences really help me (it's why I read blogs). You can leave a comment, or if it's too personal but you'd like to share you can email me or use my formspring. I know I need help doing this and would love your thoughts.
Happy Sunday
Carrie, you're awesome. I always appreciate your Sunday reflections. As much as they suck, I'm grateful for the trials I face (and really, compared to most of the world, we have it GOOD) because they make me grow stronger and better.
ReplyDeleteI always appreciate your blog posts too, Carrie! And yes, i do read them! I am glad I read this one today, because I too am guilty of judging other's lives as too easy sometimes, forgetting that everyone deals with trials, most of them probably being more difficult than mine. It was a good reminder to look for the good that comes from hardships, and to get excited about the future! Thanks!
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