It has been a hot minute since you've heard from me. I am only slightly sorry because it's not 100% my fault. For an explanation, I recommend watching this video.
Anyway, life happens and you just have to roll with it sometimes. How are you? How are you handling everything?
I was extremely attached to my computer. Heck, I used it for pretty much everything I hope to someday make money at; this blog, YouTube, photography. It was basically my livelihood. Not to mention the personal attack I felt from being robbed, I was devastated. I called my sister crying so hard all she said was, "Breathe! I can't understand what you're saying!" I was filled with so many different emotions when it first happened, except thankfulness and praise. I was more focused on the anger toward whoever took my stuff, sadness about my missing stuff, and idiotic for having the idea to put our moving boxes in my car in the first place. (watch the video so you don't think I just leave expensive things in my car on purpose all the time.)
It wasn't until the second time my boyfriend called me and I got extremely upset with him for not understanding my feelings about the whole situation (or at least I didn't feel like he understood how I was feeling) and I yelled at him that I started to feel thankful for the situation. He didn't do anything wrong. He was just checking on me to see how I was holding up. To me, I wasn't holding up good at all. I was feeling so many different emotions and thinking irrationally. We got off the phone and my sister informed me that it wasn't his fault that it happened and I shouldn't be taking my anger out on him.
Oh... I wasn't even thinking like that...
So I texted him (because he was at work so I figured he was busy) and apologized for getting angry so fast. His response took me by surprise and helped to take the anger and sadness away. He said, "stop and pray about it." Which is always the first thing I tell other people to do when they are emotionally irrational. Then he said, "its just stuff, we still have each other."
I had spent the day with all these different emotions and forgot two EXTREMELY important details. When something out of the ordinary inconveniences us, we immediately switch into emotionally irrational mode. That's a normal human instinct. See, you can sit and wallow in your self pity and be overcome with all these negative emotions or you can pray about it and be thankful for the good that came out of the situation. Yes, it sucks at the time but it isn't the end of the world, it's just a trial.
Every time I think of "a trial" or something being difficult, I always think of two verses. The first one is James 1: 2-3, which says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance."(James 1:2-3, NIV) In other words, be happy about the things that happen to you, even if it's hard, because you will persevere. Now, when I am talking with my youth kids and we come across a big word, we always define it, break it down, and use the easier words in its place. The definition of perseverance is "continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulty".
"Hold on Tuesdae! So what you're saying is all these difficult things that I have to deal with are a good thing?"
YES! All these trials you are going through are actually helping you! Think of it like this: when you work out, you are working your muscles, that muscle may tear or get overworked. Does that muscle just quit and never do what it's meant to do again? NO! That muscle (after a little rest) gets STRONGER! It gains the ability to do what it did before plus a little more! You are put through trials so you can be stronger after you have achieved them! Yes things might get hard and you might feel like you can't do it, but you're not doing it alone. Which brings me to my second verse that I think about when I think of trials, 1 Corinthians 10:13.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV) This verse isn't saying God won't let you be tempted. Rather, it says you will be tempted, things will get difficult, that's just how life is, but it will never be something that you can't handle. God will never give you an obstacle you can not overcome. God will always provide a way for you to endure the trial.
Have you ever looked up the definition to endure? It might be one of my favorite words that I have had to look up for Bible study. It means "to suffer patiently". It's almost poetic. (this is a different form of endure than to say God's love endures forever; that is "to last.") Now, knowing the definition of endure, let me rephrase that sentence. God will always provide a way for you to suffer patiently through the trial.
"Alright, now you're not making any sense. Why am I supposed to be happy about suffering?"
I know, it's weird, but think about it. When something happens that is considered "bad" or an "inconvenience" you spend the whole rest of your day overwhelmed with negative emotions, right? A bad moment turns into a bad day. Instead of letting that bad moment turn into a bad day, stop, pray about it, find joy in the situation. (I have a whole blog post discussing the difference between joy and happiness.) The only thing keeping your bad moment bad is you. No one can change how you feel except you. Instead of using those "bad" things that happen in your life as a focal point, pray about them and turn it towards praise to God.
