Life in the Rose Garden

It's so ironic. Crazy ironic. And God's timing is just so funny that way.

The past two weeks I've off and on been like...ugh. Well, you know. And if you don't I guess you could see my previous posts. And then I go and read Bo's blog and he happens to be talking about how he's come to the realization that totally going off and complaining actually leads into sin. Then today I'm at church and the whole sermon was about contentment, and Bo's exact point was mentioned in the sermon. I was just like "whoa! Dejavu!" ...or however in the world you spell that *laughs*. But I guess through it I'm learning.

Roll with the punches, take all the trash life's tornadoes hurl in your direction, and the hard part? Keeping in mind God will help you make it through. Remembering that He will give you what you need to survive, and keeping in mind that all the rest are mercies and gifts. Not sitting there and complaining continually about the tough spots in life, but learning to look past them and be content despite it all. Oh, it is so much easier said than done.

Although I've known in the back of my mind for I'm sure quite a while, the fact just struck me today that being content does not nesessarily mean being happy. Sure, we all say we're content when we're feeling good and perfectly fine. But when things go wrong? It's still possible. And being content doesn't mean going around with a big fake smile forcing yourself to be happy when you're feeling down. Which to be honest, is quite often what I do around most people, and as Lucy pointed out to me, it maybe isn't the best thing to continually do. It's a hard habbit to break :-/

But as for my previous posts... yes occasionally stupid doubts keep attacking my head at times, but I'm working hard trying to push them away and not let them costantly eat at me. You guys are absolutely the most amazing friends ever, and I thank you much for your encourragement and for being there for me =)

Life is like a bed of roses: beautiful, but the thorns will poke. But with God on my side and the wonderful friends He's allowed me to know, the wounds and scratches of the thorns aren't nearly as bad as they could be.