Sometimes Life is Hard

Hey, Friends!  Happy Monday.  Hope you had a nice weekend.  We busied ourselves with Halloween Fall Festivals, birthday parties and errands.  There were plenty of smiles to go around all weekend.

I was tempted to quickly pull together a cute Halloween post for today.

That would have been easier to just go into autopilot.

But, the truth is that sometimes life is hard.

We heard a sermon on Sunday as we work our way through Lamentations about the power of sharing our pain and struggles with each other.  At times, it feels easier to just put on a happy face instead of being honest.  I felt convicted to share a real life update with you.  While I always try hard to keep things positive and encouraging online, the reality is that life has been hard lately at our house.  It's easier to pretend that life is great all the time rather than talk about the down times.  But, I want you to know that my life is far from perfect and with plenty of highs and lows.

It has been a confusing, frustrating and uncertain week.

God's plans for us don't always make sense in the moment because we can't see the big picture.  Things have been very stressful for Kevin at work.  I know that God is using these experiences to shape our family.  We are praying for answers, guidance and trying to figuring out what is best for our family.  We look back at specific times in our life and see how God was working through our circumstances to pull together the details of His perfect plan.  I keep trying to remind myself of that truth.

We have tons of to be thankful for - healthy kids, healthy adults, good marriage, supportive family, plenty of people that care about us and a bright future.  The controlling/type A person that I am would love a glimpse at the road map ahead for our family, but that's not possible.  God has always taken good care of us and I know that he will continue to do so.

Some of the verses that we have been focusing on this week:

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Proverbs 2:7-8
He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

I also LOVE the song Counting Every Blessing by Rend Collective.  Have you heard it?  I first heard it on the radio when we were feeling all the emotions of sending Olive off to kindergarten.  It applied then and it applies to us now.

All this to say, life goes on in the good times and the hard times.  There are still plenty of things to smile about and be thankful for every day.  I'm going to continue to share the happy things that make me smile with you, but just know that things aren't always easy behind those pretty pictures I post online.