Seeking peace during adversity

Everyone has faced adversity on some level during their lives. I have had my fair share of them when it comes to my physical wellness, others have had emotional hurdles and some more profound. Though my struggles may not be yours we can not say either is any less difficult. The one thing that people have said to me time over time is that they do not understand how I can go though it and handle it so well. In the past I would politely shut the conversation down with a simple "Thank you" or a sarcastic comment such as "oh I bounce back pretty well". In truth I would love to sit in a corner with you and spill my whole story, explaining how difficult my journey has actually been and how I really was able to pull it all together because of this or that, but I figure most people don't want to hear the gritty truth. Sometimes, I don't even like to reminisce on my struggle. I wonder do I make to light of them or do I exaggerated them when others have so much more of a burden than I do?

I have always been told that God won't give your more than your can carry, and scripture tells us that God can use what is intended for our destruction for good. I believe we all have our unique experiences to not carry alone but to help one another. The problem is that most of us are so self absorbed that we are not listening to others enough to know when to do this. I have been guilty of this myself.

I can tell you that I have been to the bottom of myself , an emotional black hole, and yet was able to resurface not because of my own ability. The Lord has lifted me from places that I could not crawl out of on my own.  I find my peace in the Holy Spirit and through building a relationship with the Lord I have been able to fight for a better version of me than what existed twenty years ago or even last week or yesterday. The struggle is daily but Christ told us that this would be the case in John 16:33 "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” . In fact the Bible is full of the struggles and burdens of individuals. It is also full of wisdom and instruction on how to get through them and honor the Lord in our lives. 

By building a relationship with Christ through study of the written word in the Bible we can bridge our discomfort and adversity to a place of peace. That is when we can honor God and be the example someone else needs. We may not even know when this happens. What is true is that others are watching how we handle ourselves when adversity comes. 

Book List: Taming your Tongue

This month I am working with a friend on the discipline of the tongue.

We decided on working through a copy of Deborah Smith Pegues "30 Days To Taming Your Tongue" with my mentor at my church. I have to say as soon as I got my hands on this little gem I had a hard time putting it down. The book reads very well and the author is very candid about her own struggles with the tongue.

What we say has a lot of impact in our lives. I want to improve my relationships which is why I was really excited when a friend was willing to join me and help keep me accountable.

If you want to grab your own copy , here is the link. I also highly recommend getting the workbook.

 

30 Days to Taming Your Tongue: What You Say (and Don't Say) Will Improve Your Relationships

  30 Days to Taming Your Tongue Workbook

Wrapping up 2014

When I think of the past week and the end of 2014 there is so much on my mind I can hardly contain it. Facebook has a "look at my year:" post going around. I did peek at what it said my year was and I have to say it didn't even cut the surface of what has happened. In reality I  could say this year has been the worse year ever and I'm glad to see it go, it's been full of pain and drama, but that is not entirely true either.

Yes I definitely had some down part of the year but I am full of gratitude for the year I have had.  I had a full year with my family watching my kids grow and how they  light up when they are happy and excited.

My husband and I went through the most trying time in our marriage due to my illness, it was a very emotional time and I truly hope we never have to experience anything close to that again. Though if you ask him he says he always knew I'd be ok in the end. My hubby is my Rock, my Soul Mate, my shoulder to cry on and  my catalyst to pick my self up and prove him wrong sometimes.God couldn't have given me a better man than he is. I love him dearly. 

I know I have said this before but I will say it again, because of what happened with my R.A. this year I found a true living relationship with God. I know that without it I would have been a complete mess. Life is different now, I know my place and purpose and what really matters to me. 

That was my 2014 summed up, full of Thanks for all that I have in my life