Thankful.

It's funny how sometimes we think life is just coasting along perfectly, and then all of a sudden it feels as though we've been thrown into this crazy cycle where absolutely everything is going wrong. I've seen so many of my friends undergo hardship this year. I have seen family hurt. People lose jobs. People with illness. People with debt. Broken hearts. People unable to start a family. People falling further from God. People unable to find a job. Yet, throughout this I have seen the good. I have seen friendships restored. I  have seen hearts soften. I have seen relatiosnhips repairing themselves slowly, but surely. It's easy to focus on the bad, but how often are we looking for the positive?

I've found that we are never going to be lacking the hardships, challenges, and daily struggles that present themselves each day. That's inevitable. What we do with these things however, is in our control. We can either try to solve the world's problems each day on our own... or we can know that God is in control, and eager to show you what doors he wants to open for you in your struggle. In fact, many times that struggle is the opened door...we're just too self-centered to realize it.

I'm lucky enough to have my faith to rely on to get me through hard times. I still struggle. I still get stressed. I am still judgemental. I still get angry. I still cry. I still fight with those I love most. However, at the end of the day, I know I am not in control. I'm human and I don't need to be perfect all the time. Even if there are the days I tried to be the one in control, I end up giving it up. There are days that I truly don't know how some people can overcome things like death, illness, financial ruin - without knowing Jesus as their savior. I would be a mess without that truth to hold on to. I know, I have been there.

My prayer this Easter, was not that everything would turn around for me. Not that I would start having less struggle to deal with...and this wasn't the case for my friends either. Although I pray daily for my friends to have their prayers answered in the ways they would like... I also pray that they will see the doors that are being opened for them in their struggles. I pray for God to show them clearly what he has in store for them. For Him to soften their hearts, take away their pride, and their determination to solve the issue on their own.

As I sat in this years Easter service...all I could think about were the people I know that are struggling, and how to best help them get to be in a more positive place. Jesus does not turn away if we have our ups and downs, if we fall, if we fail him sometimes. He loves us all the same, he sees the bigger picture. This is not to say he doesn't hurt when we hurt. He died for us, knowing fully well we would fail Him over and over again. How great of a world we would live in if we could do this for one another all the time.

Now, I can help in asking the right questions, being more supportive, and less judgemental.... but the biggest thing I can do is pray for them. Pray with them. Pray for them to be shown the comfort that only One can give them.

Today, I am thankful.