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barblorello submitted a contest entry to If you could send one message you learned about life to every person in the world, what would it be? 3 weeks, 3 days ago
Life's Challenges
Dear World
If I’ve learned nothing from my days on this earth thus far, it is that I control very little in my life. Whether you believe in God or some other higher power, it is evident that someone else is in control.
I believe that God has our lives planned out for us before we gasp our first breath after leaving the womb. And to take it a step further, I believe that his original plan for us is one that is much easier than the path that we actually take.
Often times I have heard people say, “Why would God let this happen?” My response is always the same, “Why not?” Why wouldn’t He challenge us?
I’ll give you an example. My first marriage was a challenge. From the start, there were signs that it never should have happened. But, as a young girl with starry eyes and visions of a Cinderella story in my head, I ignored the signs (most likely hints from God that it wasn’t what he wanted for me) and walked down the aisle. Even my father questioned my decision right before he took my arm.
I spent the next twenty years trying to make my fantasy become a reality. The man I married was not a man of faith, which made things even harder. And there were signs along the way, opportunities for me to deviate from the path I had chosen, but I didn’t. I believed that if I broke the vows I had committed to that I would fall from grace.
Once again, instead of listening to Him, I continued to keep my marriage glued together in whatever way I could. I do that a lot. I’ve done it with my family for years. But if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that God is far stronger than I am and I need to step out of the way.
When my marriage was ending, I continued to glue it together, thinking there was no way I could survive without it. My children would suffer, I would suffer, and it would be a mess. But the truth is, once I let go and let it happen, things got easier. That’s not to say that divorcing someone after 20 years of marriage and two children is easy, it’s not. But I can tell you that with time, things got easier. I got stronger and happier. But it wasn’t on my own; God was beside me every step of the way.
There have been many other challenges in my life. I have learned not to be afraid of what life deals me. I have learned that there is lesson in everything that happens, even if I don’t know the reason.
I have also learned to cherish the quiet times. Those times when life seems easier, and more peaceful. Those are the times when I contemplate the moments that weren’t so quiet and what there is to learn from them.
Philippians 4:12-13 “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”Voting starts November 5, 2024 12:00am
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Barb
I felt you were speaking to me. Thank you for writing this!
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