Living...Not Just Existing

Do you ever feel like you are merely existing your way through life? Like all you do is just enough to make it through the day? Mere survival. That's exactly how I have felt lately. I know that it's hard to make it in this time we are living in and denial is not going to solve anything, but I have been searching within myself this week for a possible alternative. So often it seems easier to just go "ostrich" on my problems and bury my head in the sand, but all I've found is that when my head comes up it ALL hits me at once. So, needless to say, this isn't working for me. All week, God has really been helping me work through all of this. It's so awesome to have such a safe friend in Him. Even though I have tried to ignore a few of the things he's shown me, he didn't stop reminding me :) He is patient like that. Everything led me to this: small moments, small miracles, small victories, etc. and to enjoy them. I get so caught up in the big, daunting, scary realities in my life that I completely lose sight of the small things, the small, but good things. These things are everywhere! Seriously, they are, we just miss them a lot of the time. And somehow all the small things come together to bring pure, complete joy. It's amazing! It's sometimes hard to keep up these, "searches" for these small things, but when you do, you find that you are no longer existing in auto-pilot. You find that you are living. Living the life that we are called to in Him, a life of joy. Indescribable joy that people ask you about. He never said it was going to be easy. He never said that we were going to have job security in hard economic times. He never said that there was always going to be money in the bank. He never said we were always going to be healthy. He never said we were not going to experience loss. He never said that we wouldn't hurt, or cry, or get angry.

He only said He would never leave us or forsake us.

And our reality, should we choose to accept it and live in it is, that His never leaving us is enough!

Throughout our everyday lives he places reminders that he's still here. How often do you notice them?

You might be wondering what some of these moments are...I can't say what they are for you, but for me they are usually simple and all around. A smile from my nephew. A silly facebook comment from a friend. A funny story told by someone I love. Nachos with a friend. Sharing yogurt with my nephew. A favorite song.

Every good and perfect gift comes from God. Life's not always perfect, but His love is. And out of this perfect love He hides little "good" things all around us, like an Easter Egg Hunt, we just have to find them.

Let's walk this journey together. Let's encourage each other and be open to God giving us the opportunity to be a small joy for someone else.