Life is full of heartache, confusion, and unknowns.
But that’s not what makes it hard. It’s hard because when we feel heartache, confusion, and unknowns, we layer more negative emotions on top of it.
The way we look and think about things in our life is what makes life hard. It’s not the circumstances of our lives but our thoughts.
“Be thankful for the fleas”
Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place
I think of this statement often.
Can you imagine being able to see fleas all over and have them biting you and have that be something that brings you joy? But they did. They found joy, they found the why behind it, and they switched their outlook and turned fleas into a blessing.
No one can argue that those in Barracks 28 were not living a hard (and even a horrific) life. What would it have served them to layer other negative emotions on top of what they were already going through? “Poor me,” “This shouldn’t be happening,” “This is awful,” “I can’t do this.”
No one would have blamed them. But how would that be serving them?
Instead, they changed their outlook and gathered around a bible and had a worship service day after day.
It didn’t change that life was hard, but they were not going to make it harder. They would not punish themselves for things that were not caused by them.
BRILLIANT!
I’ve recently had the thought come to my mind that my life is hard, and then my brain gets busy showing me and reminding me of all the reasons it is hard.
THANKS, BRAIN.
“It’s hard parenting teenagers.”
“It’s hard potty-training a toddler.”
“Kids lives are being ruined by technology! THAT’S HARD.”
“It’s hard making dinner and running a business.”
“It’s hard; it’s hard, it’s hard.”
See how not helpful my brain is?
Thank you brain for keeping me busy consumed in thoughts like these! 😉
Bleh!
Life is hard sometimes, now what?
You still get to make a choice.
Punish yourself with more hard or switch your perspective.
What if life was hard and that’s okay? No big deal. WE can handle hard.
What if we were made for this life and made for this hard?
What if we are missing out on all that we could be learning, doing, living, & becoming because we are just spinning in our thoughts about hard?
What then?
Well let’s take our power back!
Watch your thoughts and create the life YOU want. Hard or not hard.
XOXO
Heather
