Yep--Life Changes!

Yep--Life Changes!


 Everyday we make plans.   We say we will do this or that tomorrow or next week.  That is life happening.  We assume our lives will continue uninterrupted.  We forget that everything in life is subject to change in an instant.  Accidents happen.  Illiness arrives.  Jobs disappear. Someone we love moves away to another city or state.  Death brings us to our knees.  These and other changes force us to evaluate everything we hold dear.

How we approach these happenings says so much about who we are, and what we believe.  I don't think there is a right or wrong way to deal with the experiences of life.  I have not walked that mile in your shoes so how could I pass judgement on your way of dealing with life?  Being critical of others does nothing to build relationships.  Criticism separates.  It leaves chasms that often cannot be crossed. When people say they are playing the devil's advocate, what they really mean is they are exercising their right to be critical.  Why not simply say there is disagreement and continue the conversation?

I so enjoy being around people who get a kick out of life.  No agenda.  Just living.  When bad things happen to them, they seem to have the ability to take it in stride.   They possess an inner strength that is like a second skin.  They wear it all the time.  They are never without it.  And when challenges come to others, they are there to support.  That support does not include giving advice.  They understand that everyone has to walk their own walk.  Their outstretched hand tells everyone who they are.  Their love and care is genuine, and everyone knows it.

I have been an observer and participant in the challenges of life.  Each of these has provided me with valuable information.  As an observer I have watched and listened to others as they navigated the muddy waters of life trying to find firm footing.  As a participant I have questioned the whys of life.  Why do people get sick?  Why do those folks who do good suffer so much?  Why is life so hard for some and so easy for others?  Actually, I don't think life is easy for anyone.  Even those who seem to have it all experience the same emotions that the rest of us do.  Life can be hard.  And it can be wonderful--sometimes in the same day.

Faith gives me the strength to face my tomorrows.  When I visit with the Spirit,  there is a peace that comes.  It envelops.  It may not provide the answers I need for the whys of life, but I know that there is a way forward.  It is not a crutch that I lean on.  It is a source of power that I feel down deep in my bones.  It is personal for me.  Some understand this.  Others may not.

I will continue to make plans.  The bathroom remodel will be completed.  Time with friends will happen.  Study will continue.  Someone dear to me will experience pain.  I will be there to help carry that burden.  Loss will occur.  Life will change.  This is the reality we live with everyday.  Even though we are aware that challenge will come, let's continue to make the plans to help those in need, to listen to others, to love more deeply, to be less critical, to practice kindness every opportunity we get,  to laugh out loud, to sing happy songs, to put that bounce in our step.

Who knows?  Someone may be watching us.  Watching how we handle the ups and downs of life.  We may be the light for someone.  Certainly we have all had someone be a light for us.  We are in this mess together.  It is a good mess even when pain arrives.

Life is uncertain.  That is a given.   We will win, and we will lose.  The lessons we learn along our journey are the building blocks of our character.  Let us be about building our lives one brick at a time adding joy, love and understanding to those who share our space.