What do I do when there is a struggle in my life? Do what you would do if there wasn’t. Joyce Meyer gave this advice on Talk it Out this morning. Hmmmm. So when I am facing a hard thing, I just need to do the routine? Yep, that is her point. In a way that makes sense. We condemn pity parties and wallowing in situations for a reason. This points back to the lesson of OTHERS that I have shared a million times. It is worth sharing once more….
Years ago I drove for the HELP program. A program that pairs mostly seniors with those who need a ride to a medical appointment. I had the honor to drive a woman who had terminal cancer to her treatment in Santa Fe about an hour away. In her modest apartment with only two doors she had the word OTHERS on a piece of a brown paper bag. She shared that when she was a youngster, her grandpa had carved this word out of beautiful wood. It was a reminder to always put others first especially when life was hard. Looking inward didn’t get you through the situation quicker but made the time in it more miserable. Looking outward to help others even through your sorrow helped give you perspective on your circumstances and kept you from engulfing yourself in it.
Here she was facing the end of her life with little money, no family close by, and still doing what she could for others. She was too weak to volunteer other than to make phone calls to encourage others to give their time and funds to benefit others. What a lesson on just what Joyce was speaking of this morning.
Rather than sitting with a box of tissues weeping on the couch, I choose to get dressed, brush my teeth and step out for my morning walk. Rather than sniveling on social media to bring others into my drama, I choose to Bible study and write. Rather than stomping my feet or ignoring the hardship, I choose to roll up my sleeves and see how I can make the best of the way things play out. Waiting is necessary at times. But how we wait and what we do in the wait is important. Life gives us trouble. God promises that in His word. But He also promises to be with us in the difficulties. He promises to use all things for good.
Losing my son to suicide made it impossible to breathe. But the testimony of how Christ walked beside me through that lose has become a book that I boldly share with others. My purse is a bit heavier with my book tucked inside. But God gives me the opportunity to hand it to others like the cashier who smiles and lifts those who come through her line all day long. The person who notices that I can use a hand with my packages at the post office and steps up to help gets a book. I am encouraged to sign the book with a note about how their heart and actions impacted me and surely impact others they encounter. What a gift I have through the loss of my son. A Mother’s Journey Through the Loss of Her Son is my faith walk through the hardest ten years of my life. But oh how God clung to me and changed me during that decade.
No pity party here. I have to remind myself to not wallow even in the small hurts of life. Wailing over not being included or having someone misunderstand my words is not the best practice either. So thank you Joyce for reminding me that when life is difficult I need to just do what I do when life is good. There is beauty at the end of a tunnel and a rainbow after a rain. How I spend my time in the storm matters. It doesn’t part the clouds but it puts sunshine in my attitude.
In Him,
Joyful
3-18-25
I needed to read this ❤️🙏😊🤗
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