Just Along For The Ride

Amazingly, the first nice sunny day we had around here ushered in a cure for my writers block. Hopefully the cure is permanent... or at the very least lasts for more than a week. There really is something about surrounding and circumstance that affects creativity. But I'm learning that they impact more than just my creativity; they oftentimes determine my outlook on life in general.

Not such a great thing.

Life is so uncertain, like the fair ride with the crazy operator who just keeps letting it roll. Just when you think one topsy turvy loop is over, another one starts. Those loops aren't always life-threatening or world-altering. Much of the time they're just inconveniences, annoying little bumps in the road. (We've certainly talked about these things here before!)

The real test of it is, how do I handle them? Do I let them rule me or do I rule them? Discipline comes in handy in life in so many ways, so why not here? As a nanny I teach kids how to curb their reactions, to see the positives when the negatives are most obvious. If they fall, I try to make them smile. If they mess up, I try to make them laugh over it. Why cry over spilled milk? And trust me, I've seen a lot of spilled milk in my day. My goal with them is to train them to react thoughtfully not instinctively. Because instinctively, well, we humans tend to be a mess!

But do I follow my own advice in my life? Not always. Sadly, many times when life throws me a curveball I do just what I teach against - I react instinctively. I grit my teeth and mutter, walk around with a frown, pout, snip at someone, kick a shoe across the room... whatever.

So basically... I'm a hypocrite. In the nicest sort of way, of course! :) I make a living out of telling kids to do things I don't always do myself. So I suppose it's time for me to live the example I set at work, learning to be content in whatever circumstances I am (See Phillipians 4:11). Life may not be all I want it to be, but it's not about what I want it to be. It's about what the Lord wants it to be.

Whether it's writer's block, bad weather, illness, injury, low funds, rocky relationships, car troubles - you name it. It's time I started learning to be submissive enough before the Lord to accept what He brings into my life with a bit more grace and a lot more faith; to trust that He knows what He's doing and that "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28).

Sometimes I may feel like I'm on that wild fair ride, but I'm not at the mercy of a nutty operator. I'm under the close watch of the Creator of the universe. Every bit of my life is seen and understood, and all I have to do is trust in His control, follow His lead and see what happens.

It's that perspective that makes the lemonade out of the lemons.