Messy, Ordinary, Life

Life is full of messes. Challenges. Mountains that seem insurmountable. Issues that are depressing. Events that happen leaving us looking for a seemingly invisible light at the end of our tunnel of grief. Full of anger, hate, and sadness. Once we start to see our lives in this light- or rather, lack of light, we tend to stop looking for the light. Life gets tough and we stop. Stop talking, stop loving, stop moving forward. We get complacent and stop trying. Trying to get better, trying to seek things that give is happiness. We stop seeking help. We stop seeking God. Maybe we curse Him- after all he has let all these terrible things happen to us. "Damn you", we scream at the sky. We fall to our knees in tears when the pain gets to be too much to bear, then wipe the tears and pretend it never happened. Why? Because we are afraid to be weak? Because we feel stuck? When others ask how they can help, we push them away... the very people that could save us, help us through our pain get shoved away because we refuse to hear them remind us we aren't perfect.Life is full of lessons, whether we like it or not. it is full of hard times, yet it is also full of so much joy. None of us experience life the same as anyone else, and even though we might go through the same situations, how we perceive those situations can be at the total opposite end of the spectrum. Maybe pregnancy was easy for you- or maybe getting pregnant was your own personal hell. Maybe the day you got married, nothing could have been more perfect: the dress, the cake, the look in his face as you walked down the aisle; or maybe he got cold feet and left you at the altar. Life ain't fair- but we should learn to remember that just because giving birth was the scariest damn thing you've ever gone through, does not mean that young woman asking for your advice needs to hear your horror story. On the other side of that token, just because you think your marriage is awesome and damn-near perfect, does not give you to right to judge the couple whose life together is falling apart. Instead of bragging how good you have it, or wallowing in your own self pity, ask others what you can do to help them. Lend an ear. Lend a smile. Hugs cost nothing, but may mean everything.We all have a story. Good, bad, or otherwise, we should all be able to share it without being scared to talk about it. Never stop loving your story. Never stop sharing it with those around you. Never give up on yourself, and never be afraid to ask for help when you need it. God doesn't expect us to bear our burdens alone. There is always someone who cares and wants to be there for you. You just have to let them.Love, Richelle