I spent some time with my granddaughter Cheyanne a few weeks ago. We ran some errands, went into 4 or 5 stores and I told her if she was good we would stop at Sonic on the way home and get lunch and a drink. She was very helpful, so on our way home we drove in to Sonic and got her lunch. As we were driving home she talked about how she loved the cherries that came in some of the drinks. She said she 'looovvveeeddd' cherries and that every drink in the world should come with cherries. I could think of some drinks that wouldn't be too good with a cherry on top, but didn't want to burst her bubble.
We got home and she sat to eat her lunch. I was busy putting groceries away and getting stuff done when I heard an excited yell. "I got a cherry, I got a cherry!" You would have thought she had won the kiddie lottery. She was running and jumping and yelling. She was so happy with that little piece of fruit filled with red dye #3! She was happy and it made me happy to watch her.
When did we get to hard to please? I speak for myself here. We just had our laundry room and main closet flooded due to a faulty hose on the wash machine. What an inconvenience. And truly that should be all it was. Thank goodness insurance is covering most of it and Jim is able to do the work with some help. But you would think my world ended. Oh the horrors of going to the laundromat. I forgot how much work that was. Five loads and $20 later...but at least we had clothes to wash. And the change to pay for it. And a car to get us there. When did I become ungrateful? I think we live in a culture that says we are supposed to have it all, do it all, all the time. I looked around that laundromat and saw women with 3 and 4 kids there doing the laundry. I do remember those days, there was a time that we had to do that also. But it has been awhile and why am I entitled to an easy life? What am I entitled to at all? Even my life and breath is in God's hands, so no entitlement there either.
Then to make the flood matters worse, the wash machine and dryer and all our clothes and shoes are in the middle of the living room and big room. This all happened the day after Thanksgiving; yes, the day I usually put my Christmas tree up. Oh, did the injustice of it all hit me hard! All my plans for a beautiful, glittery Christmas gone to waste. Depression hit like a ton of bricks. Holy Cow, that's pretty pathetic. Again, when did my perspective get so skewed? It is not the tree and the ornaments and the lights that make it Christmas. Yes I enjoy those things and making my home beautiful, but that is not the stuff of Christmas, truly. It is Jesus, born to live a sinless life. Jesus born to die a sinner's death. All for me. So that I might one day spend eternity with Him in a place that will make all my Christmas decorations and shiny glittery baubles pale in comparison. None of this will matter then, so truly why should it matter so much now?
I said it before and I'll say it again, I am not your average upbeat, happy-go-lucky person. I am introspective and tend to feel things very strongly, and the stronger the emotions, the harder they hit me. But it is not emotions that are supposed to run my life. Yes, they color my experience, but it is my faith in God that should be my driving force. It is my faith that will carry the day, not what is going on around me. It is my faith and trust in God that will get me through any trials and tribulations that come my way. It is my trust in God that gives me hope to know that even if things don't get better when I want them to, if at all, that He is with me and He will never leave me, He will never forsake me. It is my hope that allows me to come to a place of peace in Him. A peace that lets me rest in the knowledge that no matter what life throws at me I have a great and mighty God who loves me, who holds me in great esteem and who thinks I am the cherry on top!
We got home and she sat to eat her lunch. I was busy putting groceries away and getting stuff done when I heard an excited yell. "I got a cherry, I got a cherry!" You would have thought she had won the kiddie lottery. She was running and jumping and yelling. She was so happy with that little piece of fruit filled with red dye #3! She was happy and it made me happy to watch her.
When did we get to hard to please? I speak for myself here. We just had our laundry room and main closet flooded due to a faulty hose on the wash machine. What an inconvenience. And truly that should be all it was. Thank goodness insurance is covering most of it and Jim is able to do the work with some help. But you would think my world ended. Oh the horrors of going to the laundromat. I forgot how much work that was. Five loads and $20 later...but at least we had clothes to wash. And the change to pay for it. And a car to get us there. When did I become ungrateful? I think we live in a culture that says we are supposed to have it all, do it all, all the time. I looked around that laundromat and saw women with 3 and 4 kids there doing the laundry. I do remember those days, there was a time that we had to do that also. But it has been awhile and why am I entitled to an easy life? What am I entitled to at all? Even my life and breath is in God's hands, so no entitlement there either.
Then to make the flood matters worse, the wash machine and dryer and all our clothes and shoes are in the middle of the living room and big room. This all happened the day after Thanksgiving; yes, the day I usually put my Christmas tree up. Oh, did the injustice of it all hit me hard! All my plans for a beautiful, glittery Christmas gone to waste. Depression hit like a ton of bricks. Holy Cow, that's pretty pathetic. Again, when did my perspective get so skewed? It is not the tree and the ornaments and the lights that make it Christmas. Yes I enjoy those things and making my home beautiful, but that is not the stuff of Christmas, truly. It is Jesus, born to live a sinless life. Jesus born to die a sinner's death. All for me. So that I might one day spend eternity with Him in a place that will make all my Christmas decorations and shiny glittery baubles pale in comparison. None of this will matter then, so truly why should it matter so much now?
I said it before and I'll say it again, I am not your average upbeat, happy-go-lucky person. I am introspective and tend to feel things very strongly, and the stronger the emotions, the harder they hit me. But it is not emotions that are supposed to run my life. Yes, they color my experience, but it is my faith in God that should be my driving force. It is my faith that will carry the day, not what is going on around me. It is my faith and trust in God that will get me through any trials and tribulations that come my way. It is my trust in God that gives me hope to know that even if things don't get better when I want them to, if at all, that He is with me and He will never leave me, He will never forsake me. It is my hope that allows me to come to a place of peace in Him. A peace that lets me rest in the knowledge that no matter what life throws at me I have a great and mighty God who loves me, who holds me in great esteem and who thinks I am the cherry on top!