I remember cutting this poem out of a local newspaper over 10 years ago. I had it safely tucked under a magnet on the kitchen refrigerator for the longest time. I still have it somewhere, but through the moves, am not sure exactly which box it landed in. I came across it somewhere else today and it made me smile and be thankful.
The words in it are so true. Sometimes we are given the opposite of what we think we need in order to learn a greater lesson (whatever it may be) we can't learn any other way. Do we look for lessons as a way to lessen the difficulty or pain of the circumstance? Maybe. What I DO know is He knows what we are capable of and what is expected of us. Even though sometimes we may be responding, "No fair! This can't be right!" Or maybe that's just me who responds that way. (Nahhh...I didn't think so.). We were made to persevere.
This poem reminds me if I keep the blinds closed, I won't see the sun, the trees, the flowers. If I don't spend time with my kids, I will miss the true joys of acting like a child myself and showing them a smiling face that loves them through thick and thin. If I keep thinking about mistakes I made in the past, I'll never appreciate the positive, ordinary miracle things going on right in front of me if I'd just pay attention. If I concentrate on what's missing, I won't recognize what I have. And finally, if I think it's all about me, I'm totally missing out on the point of it all.
And no, I don't think this is a Pollyanna approach to life. I think it is how He wants us to look at it and from every 'older' person I've ever talked to...it's what is really important in life. And it's not about how many times I fail at things or receive challenges in life; it's about how many times I get up, keep going and don't bury my head in the sand. And I will always do stand up more than I fall. How do I know? Because it's a choice I make.
Enough chit-chat. This is just what it means to me. You may pull something completely different from it. But if you believe in prayer, this will touch you. Because I believe prayers are answered. Sometimes we just might have to read between the lines and think "What does He really want me to do here?". And for someone like me (hit me over the head, please and just give me the answer) it can be a challenge. Regardless, give it a read:
"I asked God for strength, that I might achieve. I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey ...I asked for health, that I might do greater things. I was given infirmity, that I might do better things ...I asked for riches, that I might be happy. I was given poverty, that I might be wise ...I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God ...I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things ...I got nothing that I asked for-but everything I had hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am, among all men, most richly blessed."
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