This weekend, has been a long and difficult one. I ended up getting a stomach bug and have been in bed for the past couple of days. Sickness is never fun, especially for someone who does not slow down, or take it easy for very long. I often wonder if sickness is the way Heaven makes me take it easy for a moment or two.
One of the things I was thinking about is how trials are like this sickness in my body right now. Some things happen to us because of our own choices. Some things happen to us because of others choices. And some things happen just because it is part of life, and we were never promised an easy road. I know (if I am honest about it) that when the trials in my life are at their most difficult, I learn so very much. My faith increases, my mind and heart become more spiritual, and I become closer to my Heavenly Father. After everything is over, I can look back and even be grateful for the difficulties that have been present in my life.
I am learning that there are many more choices in life than I ever thought there could be. Sometimes, the choices are easy. They are things that have definite right and wrongs. My mind and heart are drawn easily toward one or the other. Sometimes the choices are harder. It might be a choice between two rights, or even a choice between two options that I would like to do. But, my life is filled with choices.
One of the most important that I have come to recognize is the choice in how I act. I can't pick my trials. They have a habit of picking me and surprising me, but I can pick what I do about them. I can pick whether or not I am happy. I can chose to be calm and peaceful. I can choose to be trusting and faithful. I can choose to be the type of person that I have always admired.
So, as you go through your own trials today, remember that you too have choices. You might not want to make them, I am not promising that they are easy, as a matter of fact, I can pretty much guarantee that they will probably be hard. But, they are still your choices. They are still your chance to have input and decision into your own life. I know that it is a relief for me to know that the things around me aren't always completely out of my control. It is enough for me that I can have some decisions to make. I get to decide the most important thing of all, and that is my own attitude and actions.
Charles R. Swindoll
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts.... We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.
Thanks for the advice on the phone call situation! :) I love the idea of a timer-Jake will too. I think you are right about laying out all the rules now. He knows all about not dating until 16-I just never thought about all the things that will lead up to it. :)
ReplyDeleteI so used to have that attitude. I'm just worn down. It's like your favorite nightshirt or whatever...you try to keep it forever, but eventually it disintegrates. It gets stained, washed, dried, worn, washed, dried...and finally there's nothing left.
ReplyDeleteCall me a nightshirt.
You are so right. But sometimes I really want to be snarky!! Good advice, Patty Ann. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your long hard weekend. But so glad you have such a good attitude and recognize that you still have a choice in how you deal with difficulties. Have you ever read the book, David. I loved that book! I loved how David was so determined to be wthe way he wanted to be, and didn't let anything get in the way. He knew that the one thing no one could take away from him was his resolve to be what he chose to be.. to have a good attitude, no matter what.
ReplyDeleteSorry to ramble. :O I hope you are feeling well again! :D
Corine
Sorry to hear you are feeling under the weather. But you make a good point: attitude tends to affect how we interpret events. Being sick isn't necessarily always "bad" -- it is more in the way we view it and cope with it. Like you said, it could just be a way for our bodies to get some much needed rest.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that you're not feeling well, but even so, you still give us a great, encouraging post!
ReplyDeleteHoping you're feeling better now. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, all of you. I am still feeling a little rough around the edges, but am definitely on the mend. Now if I could just find where I placed my singing voice......
ReplyDelete