It's our choice

"This too shall pass"

 

"Tomorrow will be another day"

 

"It's just a minor speed bump on the road of life"

 

 

When I was growing up, our family seemed to experience more than it's fair share of adversity.  I remember times when things were so bad that neighbors and friends were bringing us food baskets on a regular basis.  That was back in the day when folks did those things and there were no food pantries or government handouts.  People took care of people.

 

We were, as you might guess from the above, pretty poor.  Add to that a chronically debilitating disease (mom), a mentally retarded and handicapped child (sister), and a laskluster and unspectacular work situation (dad) and one might just be able to think--ADVERSITY.  Yep, I grew up with it.

 

Frankly, I grew up to despise hearing the top two statements to this post...and I heard them often from my mom.  I remember as I grew into my teen years wondering how in the heck she could even think those things let alone say them all the time in light of the fact that our lives were so crummy.  In time I came to recognize that their outlook, in spite of their circumstances, was based on an undeniable and unending faith that God would see them through their circumstances. 

 

Fast forward many years.  The third of those sayings at the top of this post is a more modern version of the top two, and one that I find myself using a fair amount of the time.   And that is, in part because of the example of my parents, and in part because of what I have learned along the way on the road of life.  How I react to circumstances dictates what my character will be. 

 

Bad things are always going to happen to us.  They may not happen with regularity, but they will happen, and none of us are immune. 

• Which choice will you make when bad happens in your life?
• Will your choice be a reflection of your spiritual values and beliefs?
• Will the result of your choice tend to impact others around you in a positive way?