Confessions of a Peace Lover

Sometimes the lessons of life jump right out at you, other times you have to search a little deeper, pondering the happenings around you and intentionally looking for a take-away. Such has been the case in the past week.

Life lesson #1: Good things can come from circumstances we wouldn't choose

A mandatory absence from school due to the flu resulted in Clay being pleasantly surprised when something fun happened after the fever broke and he was feeling good enough to be up and around again. (Mama's note: This lesson meant even more to him because he had learned an earlier lesson: if you stay home when mom doesn't think you're really sick you will spend the entire day in bed, resting, not playing)

It is so hard to be in the midst of pain, in the middle of a mess we didn't choose, but if we simply get thru whatever is on our plate, whatever has been thrown into our lap, whatever is in our day that we haven't planned on, there is often a blessing that comes at the end of the journey.

Sometimes that blessing is simply rest at the end of a long day. Sometimes it's an added pleasure, a game played with Mom, a kind word from a friend, or a sense of satisfaction that wasn't there before. Sometimes it's the feeling of "I am so glad that is finished!" or even "I'm so glad the pain is gone" after the three day headache has finally disappeared.

Yes, sometimes you have to look pretty hard to find the blessing, but it's worth the time spent in reflection to see it!

Life lesson #2: Don't wait until it's too late to tell someone how you feel

I was reminded again of this important lesson recently during the days my sister-in-law lay in the hospital hanging by a thread between life and death. I talked to my brother a lot that week. One of the things I felt compelled to say to him, as I listened to the exhaustion in his voice, was how blessed I was to be able to witness how sweetly he was honoring and loving his wife of almost forty years.

I also thanked him for being such a good cheerleader in my, and my children's, life. While I had told my oldest daughter that I wanted her to be for her siblings what my oldest brother has been for me I had never told him how much his support and words of encouragement have meant to me thru the years.

While I am not glad my sister-in-law was so terribly sick I am thankful that it opened the door for me to pass along my appreciation - or perhaps that door was open all along and I was too distracted to notice it. Hmmmm - might be yet another life lesson in that one!

Life lesson #3: miracles still happen

My sister-in-law is a living-breathing miracle. One of the nine doctors' that attended to her during her hospital stay said it's the third miracle he's been privileged to see in his lifetime. I like to think I see miracles everyday (How's does the solar system stay put? We each have a unique fingerprint.how can that be? How can a human cell hold so much information in it? It's all a miracle to me!) but without a doubt, the fact that sis-in-law is still alive gives testimony to the fact that miracles still happen!

Life lesson #4: Sometimes you work hard, sacrifice much, and still lose the game, yet the lessons learned from hard work and sacrifice will benefit you long after the game is over

As evidenced in previous blogs we are basketball fans. The end of the season has been a hard one for several of our favorite teams and players. But ultimately, after the tears have dried, the lessons learned on the court are life lessons that will lead to success in areas far beyond the world of basketball.

Colossians 3:23 says "Whatever you do, work at it will all of your heart".

To me that says we honor God not by our wins or losses, but by our willingness to do the work, with a right attitude.

Those are my take-aways from the past few weeks. It would be easy to breeze thru life so quickly that taking time to reflect on lessons learned would never happen. I am thankful for this blog as it makes me look at life thru a new, reflective, lens. That lens is reflecting where God is at work in my life and in the lives of those I love!

Which leads me to life lesson #5: Take time to sit and ponder, you just might be surprised at the places you see God at work!

Until next time.

Beth