We have all faced challenges in our lives. They come in many different forms. I was going to say tonight, but its actually 3 am so this morning, my challenge is sleep. I have a heavy burden on my heart. A need to say what I think the Lord is speaking to me.
I myself have faced many challenges. As I reflect back over my life, there seems to be a theme. The biggest challenge I have is ME. I am my own biggest challenge. I get in my own way all the time. This comes in many different ways. My biggest though, is procrastination. I put things off until the last possible moment, and than I make everyone around me miserable because I go into panic mode.
This is not a good thing. I make my panic everyone else's problem. I wait to do what I know needs to be done instead of just doing it. This last year has been a lot of procrastination. I am so thankful for my wonderful husband who helps keep me on target when he isn't so busy trying to do five hundred other things. He has pushed me to do things he knows I truly have wanted, and yet have put off for one reason or another. This year it was to go back and get my RN. Its something I have wanted and tried to do may times, but with life, it has always been pushed to the back burner.
So, back to challenges. Over my life time, I have glimpsed the challenges faced by others. I have seen victory, and I have seen defeat. It's easy to rejoice in the victories, but what do we do with defeat? How do we support a person in their time of defeat? How do we react, rather a friend or a stranger, is in a time of defeat? Do we run to or away from them? Or do we stand and help them fight? Are we fair weather friends, or are we there in all types of weather friend? Its a question that deserves an answer, but not one that always makes me look so nice.
As a nurse, I have seen some things that I know would defeat me entirely, and yet, my patients don't give up. They might get down at times, but they say to me, and others around them, this is only temporary. It will get better. For some, it means a full recovery, while others, sadly, lose their battle. But does this mean defeat, or victory? I think that all depends on your faith.
I learned, from the time I was born, that there is a Power greater than any man. A Person in whom I can put all my trust. One Who will never let me down. That even in death, there is victory. I have also learned that I am never alone in my struggles. This does not mean that I won't have hard times. Times of doubt or fear. It only means that when I do, I have The One I can lean on with me at all times and through all things.
This world has become a very difficult place for people to find belonging. I see so many people walking around with such emptiness. Oh sure they try to look happy. They keep themselves so busy that they never have time to stop and look around. They run around filling their lives with what they think will make them happy. Filling their lives with stuff. Good stuff, bad stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff.
This season is an example of that. A season when the shopping centers are full of people trying to buy what they think someone will love. I see shopping carts filled to the top, people carrying so many shopping bags that they can't hardly walk. The hustle and bustle of buy, buy, buy, but very little joy on their faces. They seem consumed with the challenge of getting just the right gift for the people they love, but I can't help but think that they are missing the point.
When I was little, and that was a long time ago, in a galaxy far away, oh wait, that was right here in this galaxy. But all kidding aside, when I was little, life was so different. So much simpler. People spent time together with their families at Christmas. The excitement of the season was knowing I was going to get to hang out with my favorite people. My Aunts, Uncles, grandparents, and the all important cousins. It wasn't about stuff, but about being with those I loved and who meant so much to me.
It was a time of laughter, joy, catching up on what was going on in everyone's lives. The kids, my cousins and I, had so much fun seeing who could sneak the most fudge without getting caught. It meant good food, good company, and much love. It wasn't all about the presents, but more about the presence. The presence of the people around us. Family and friends who gathered together not for gifts, but just because they loved one another. And not one of us ever forgot what the season was truly about.
All of my cousins and I were raised knowing that this season was a celebration of the birth of Jesus. We knew that to our very core. Our grandparents parents, aunts, and uncles made sure of that. All the family made sure of that. We knew it meant Christmas mass. Time praying and thanking God for the ultimate gift. It meant the story of Mary and Joseph and their challenges. The challenge of travel, seeking shelter, and than the birth of their Son Jesus.
It is in that story that I draw my strength. You see, Mary faced a challenge that none of us have ever experienced. She was faced with a challenge that could ultimately lead to her death. She was challenged with a pregnancy out of wedlock, which in those days meant stoning to death. She was challenged with going to her betrothed, a man that she would marry, love, and bare children for, and telling him that she was with child. A challenge of knowing she was to carry the Son of God Himself.
I know that times are hard for people. I know there are those who suffer in silence, alone and afraid. Those who walk in addiction, pain, depression, anxiety, anger, hate and grief. I also know that there is One who can take all the challenges we face, walk with us, and refine us during the fire. He is the One Who can help us conquer all challenges we face in life.
I have watched those who were given a challenge that would only end in death. Those who knew where they would go, accepted that challenge and faced it with strength. Like Christ, they knew how their story would end, but the stood upright, and kept going. That is who I want to be. I want to be a person who, when faced with a challenge, stands upright, without fear, and marches on. I hope that for all of my family.
So as I draw this blog to an end, I leave you with a challenge. My challenge is to really look at your life. Are you happy? Do you know where you are going? Do you know Jesus as your Lord and savior? If not, challenge yourself to ask. Ask someone who knows Jesus. Ask them to teach you, to show you the Way. My challenge is for you to find peace and rest from all that has been wearing you down. Don't procrastinate, for the time is short.
Do you hear the knocking at the door of your heart? Open the door and let Him in. It will be the best choice you have ever made. You can finally stop running and rest in Him. God Bless you all. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
In Christ
Carrie
