Stop Trying to Fix Things

It's tough, when writing is the only way you know how to process. It feels rude to make yourself feel better by writing down thoughts from the week's events. I mean, who even cares? 

I thought about that Monday and Tuesday in the hospital with Bruce and I also thought about how every single one of our "people" have their daily garbage to dump as well and don't. Probably they don't anyway. If they do, I don't hear it.

 I thought about how much we hold back...how much we actually don't share in this "share all" world and it made me sad. I don't know why...

 I think maybe its because so much of life has turned into comparisons. It seems like if you open up and become vulnerable to someone about your current struggle, they dig down a little deeper into their own can and try to bring out a bigger more important struggle to compare. 

I don't like it at all. I don't gather the courage to share my sorrow with a person so they feel compelled to bring up their own. It makes me feel as if I was fishing for sympathy which I wasn't. I just wanted another perspective. Whatever happened to just listening and bearing one another's burden? What if its you? What if I just want to hear your heart and pray with you for you? 

There is no shame in saying, "I don't know how it feels to go through what you are going through, but I will pray for you and I know that God is strong on your behalf today."

 Why do we think we are helping someone when we give so many answers?

 Why are we so uncomfortable with questions? 

How will we ever learn to be still and know God if we already have the answers? 

I am watching a dear person currently give up something she has taken a lifetime to create. We don't talk about it much, other than I tell her I notice and I pray for the giving up of this very important part of her life. She's laying aside one of her favorite things for the sake of someone else. It's true sacrificial love that helps us do that. No amount of talk or sympathy will make it easier. What she needs is grace from God and the people in her life. Some will not understand and she won't be able to explain it to anyone. It just is. I see this and care. Sometimes its enough to just say that. Sometimes there is nothing else you can do.

At the same time, I'm glad we are cautious about saying everything that is on our hearts. I'm quite relieved when a little of life's drama can be cut out. That is a fact. 

I believe however, there are tendencies to making the ugly things in life more important than they are by pretending they aren't there. Sometime those things become the white elephant in the room nobody wants to talk about. How much better would it be to realize how very normal and human each of us are and to please stop trying to fool the world by our "put togetherness" and just be real?

The next time you have a very bad day, look around you. Every single person on this planet has times of distress and pain. Every one of them are just as important as you. Don't carry your bad day around like a badge. Let it teach you about others' pain and make you more interested in their story. When you are sideswiped with one of earth's little surprises look beyond yourself.
Stop trying to fix stuff that isn't broken. 

 Remember....
Just because it isn't how we want it, doesn't mean it isn't how it should be. 
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