A minister asked me while I was in high school "how do you do it?"when I told him I had to work instead of go to school. I was unable to answer his question because I had a zillion answers immediately flood my mind and instead gave him a really unoriginal and anemic shrug. I've always wished that I could have answered him the correct way not just with the fact that God gave me the strength, which is utterly true but, with the fact that I simply had no choice.
Now, I know people say 'you always have a choice' which is true but, when you take the instinct to survive into account it's an involuntary reaction that leaves you no choice but to fight for survival. Seeing how there isn't really an instinct to die {or I've never heard of it} I believe that God has given us the instinct to try, fight and ultimately survive.
Life is more than merely surviving but, there is a sense of triumph in it. Especially at the end of a really hard day when even sleeping is way too hard of a task but it's the only thing left on the check list so, you do it anyway because if not you and the rest of the people on the road the next morning will die. Yes, I am suggesting that sleeping is a heroic action that should be done every chance possible without interruptions or loud snoring.
In the real world {unfortunately} your baby doesn't always have a smile on her face, you don't get enough restful sleep, your hair isn't always obedient or submissive, your husband doesn't always remember to take out the trash which means your home isn't always smelling the way it should. This leaves you with choices: be mad or suck it up. I choose to do both, all the time.
I allow myself to be mad, sad, inadequate, tired and even lonely. Do I like feeling this way? No. But, I have no choice. This is what I mean by "choice"- things happen to us. Things that are beyond our control. Like what the status of other people's breath is or what your hair is doing {I'm having a really bad hair week, could you tell?} These are the things that offer up decisions to be made {like, offer them a tic-tac or wear a hat} that can either build your character or kill your soul.
Ok. So I'm feeling mad. Now what?
You know those people that always hold their feelings in, or always bite their tongues? Those are the people I a} don't understand and b} try not to be around too much for fear that they'll spontaneously combust. I often hold my tongue because, unlike Joe Biden, I do not want to be known as a loose cannon. But, I don't like to let things linger and although it isn't in the Popularity Conduct booklet I find that confronting an issue is best. You would be surprised how many misunderstandings could be avoided if a confrontation could be made.
There are also these sort of people---"Life is hard, waa, waa, waa" "I am unhappy, waa, waa, waa" SUCK IT UP! Do what you can with the life you have been given. Yes, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence so quit looking at it. Quit comparing yourself to anyone or everyone else. Focus on what you actually obtain and quit your griping. Be grateful for something, anything. Please?
I am not pretending to be perfect cause I have caught myself griping and complaining too. I just can't live in that state of mind. I pass through and then let it go. I also take it to God in prayer and leave it there. Trusting God with my issues allows me to suck it up because it requires faith to run to God and trust that He has it all in his hands but, you have to give it to him first.
To be told to suck it up may be a bit harsh but, I see it as 'yes, it's bad but, God..." God is good. He is faithful, sovereign and so many other good things that after thinking about that for a while life isn't so bad after all.
I always say this to my husband "Anything could happen to me. Good or bad. I am not the exception."
I don't live in denial and I don't go around confronting people for fun. Life is something that happens to everyone. It isn't just one thing it's several if not everything all at once. I've been dealing with a small person on my left shoulder playing a depressing tune with it's tiny, whiney violin. So, I had the guy on my other shoulder shoot him down with a sling shot. I call him Praith {Prayer and Faith}. Without those two I'd be the one seeing stars.
"...The last thing I want to be is bitter, grumpy, sad, narrow-minded and hateful. I want to be happy, hopeful, gracious and loving. I don’t want to be sad so that after my life is over, people will jump to the conclusion that it was because of all my trials, my poor finances, my negative community experiences, my confrontations with other leaders, and my apparent lack of visible success. I don’t want others to conclude that I allowed all these to pull me down. I don’t want them to point to all those things and blame them for my sadness. The fault lies within me if I am not happy. If I can’t find reason to rejoice and be glad in all situations, then it is my fault and no one else’s. True, sometimes my sadness is completely justified and understandable. I am entitled to be sad. But I don’t want to just settle for that. I want my privileges too, my rights! And I have every right to be happy too. Sure, sadness, like a deep current, courses through my life. But the river itself is joy. That’s what I want to live by and be remembered for." David Hayward
Now, I know people say 'you always have a choice' which is true but, when you take the instinct to survive into account it's an involuntary reaction that leaves you no choice but to fight for survival. Seeing how there isn't really an instinct to die {or I've never heard of it} I believe that God has given us the instinct to try, fight and ultimately survive.
Life is more than merely surviving but, there is a sense of triumph in it. Especially at the end of a really hard day when even sleeping is way too hard of a task but it's the only thing left on the check list so, you do it anyway because if not you and the rest of the people on the road the next morning will die. Yes, I am suggesting that sleeping is a heroic action that should be done every chance possible without interruptions or loud snoring.
In the real world {unfortunately} your baby doesn't always have a smile on her face, you don't get enough restful sleep, your hair isn't always obedient or submissive, your husband doesn't always remember to take out the trash which means your home isn't always smelling the way it should. This leaves you with choices: be mad or suck it up. I choose to do both, all the time.
I allow myself to be mad, sad, inadequate, tired and even lonely. Do I like feeling this way? No. But, I have no choice. This is what I mean by "choice"- things happen to us. Things that are beyond our control. Like what the status of other people's breath is or what your hair is doing {I'm having a really bad hair week, could you tell?} These are the things that offer up decisions to be made {like, offer them a tic-tac or wear a hat} that can either build your character or kill your soul.
Ok. So I'm feeling mad. Now what?
You know those people that always hold their feelings in, or always bite their tongues? Those are the people I a} don't understand and b} try not to be around too much for fear that they'll spontaneously combust. I often hold my tongue because, unlike Joe Biden, I do not want to be known as a loose cannon. But, I don't like to let things linger and although it isn't in the Popularity Conduct booklet I find that confronting an issue is best. You would be surprised how many misunderstandings could be avoided if a confrontation could be made.
There are also these sort of people---"Life is hard, waa, waa, waa" "I am unhappy, waa, waa, waa" SUCK IT UP! Do what you can with the life you have been given. Yes, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence so quit looking at it. Quit comparing yourself to anyone or everyone else. Focus on what you actually obtain and quit your griping. Be grateful for something, anything. Please?
I am not pretending to be perfect cause I have caught myself griping and complaining too. I just can't live in that state of mind. I pass through and then let it go. I also take it to God in prayer and leave it there. Trusting God with my issues allows me to suck it up because it requires faith to run to God and trust that He has it all in his hands but, you have to give it to him first.
To be told to suck it up may be a bit harsh but, I see it as 'yes, it's bad but, God..." God is good. He is faithful, sovereign and so many other good things that after thinking about that for a while life isn't so bad after all.
I always say this to my husband "Anything could happen to me. Good or bad. I am not the exception."
I don't live in denial and I don't go around confronting people for fun. Life is something that happens to everyone. It isn't just one thing it's several if not everything all at once. I've been dealing with a small person on my left shoulder playing a depressing tune with it's tiny, whiney violin. So, I had the guy on my other shoulder shoot him down with a sling shot. I call him Praith {Prayer and Faith}. Without those two I'd be the one seeing stars.
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