Monday, October 29, 2018

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.

12 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing, you have one of my favorite blogs and I always appreciate how you show both the awesome and sometimes not so easy aspects of young family life. <3

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  2. Hoping that everything will be OK! Happy. Monday!

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  3. Confidence by Sanctus Real is a good one too!

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  4. Prayers, love , and blessings coming your way...❤️❤️ �������� and a few hugs for all concerned...

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  5. Thank you for sharing your heart! While we know that everyone struggles, sometimes as bloggers it's hard to share the hard stuff. Prayers that answers are revealed and that your peace returns. Thinking about you!

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  6. Oh friend. I am sorry things have not been easy the past couple of weeks. I know it has to be so unsettling for Kevin to be experiencing so much stress at work, especially since he loves his job and has worked so hard to be where he is. I will be praying that you both receive clarity and peace about the situation. You are a ray of LIGHT and I just LOVE your honesty and your outlook on life. LOVE you and hope this is a good week despite the bumps in the road you might be facing!!

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  7. Thank you for sharing your struggles. I am so happy to know how I can pray for you and Kevin. Obviously I don’t know your details, but Jon recently got a new job after four and a half years of a truly volatile work situation. I completely understand the stress of standing by watching our husbands in a work situation that isn’t good, for whatever reason. I will be praying daily for you both!

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  8. It can be so hard and I always think - make my pain my testimony so others can see YOU in Me God! Thanks for sharing, I will be praying for you all. Lamentations 3:22-24 has been my verse for trials in our life and i cling to it daily in our adoption wait :)! Hugs!

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  9. This is so true, friend! I always slap on a happy face because I always think and feel that so many people have it much worse than what I am facing at that moment. I know it’s not good to bottle it up, though! And I have so many sisters in Christ I could share with! I am sorry that things have been stressful and hard for you guys lately. I will be praying! And remember, God is always working things for our good. Thank you for sharing your heart! Now you guys can have more people praying for you all!

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  10. Victory for the upright, love that verse. everyone appears to be going through something, it is important to stay thankful, even though sometimes it is difficult to count it a joy.

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  11. Prayers to you - work stress always seems to make its way home. I hope you find answers and peace soon.

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