Perspective

There are times when life has been tough lately.  I have felt emotionally beat up.  Some mornings, the love I have for my children is the only things that keeps me going.  That's when God puts something or someone in my life that gives me perspective.

Perspective:  How we look at the world.  Our outlook.

It can be good, or it can just plain stink.  Remember hearing about the glass analogy?  Do you look at this glass of water as being half full or half empty?  The positive person would say it's half full.  The negative one would say it's half empty. 

I've always been a "glass half full" kind of person.  I like to smile, laugh and surround myself with generally positive people.  My faith has helped me to see the positive in even the hardest situations.  I look for God's purpose and plan in the difficult circumstances.  How is He attempting to refine me?  The difficult circumstances can shape us into better people, if we allow God to work His purpose in our lives.

I have to honestly say that I've been in a funk.  Divorce can do that to a person.  It can make one question his or her choices, worth and future.  I have felt as though I'm on an emotional roller coaster.  One moment, I'm joyful and feeling positive about everything.  The next moment, I'm crying over the littlest thing.  The next moment, I'm wanting to beat the stuffing out of a pillow till there's nothing left.  (Or walk 6 miles--fast, or shovel a giant pile of mulch--vigorously, or move a large pile of sizable river rock--furiously, etc.)  Sorry for the rabbit trail, but you get the picture.

The reality is that we can allow difficulties to destroy us, and make us angry, bitter and negative.  OR, we can work through the emotions, grow, learn and become the kind of people who change the world.  Maybe our circle of influence is confined to our family.  Maybe our purpose is to influence the world on a greater scale.  This can only happen if we are secure in our identity.

Identity

I'm not talking about surface identity.  Daughter, husband, mother, friend, co-worker, etc.  This is not about our skewed picture of how we see ourselves.  I'm talking about our identity in God's eyes.  How does God see us?  Some of you are blessed enough to have people in your lives who see you how God sees you.  Hopefully, some of you are married to a spouse who loves you and sees you the way Jesus does.  What an amazing gift to be loved with that kind of love!  In order to have a positive perspective, it is essential to know who you are in Christ.

Nick Vujicic is one of those amazingly inspiring people who helps us to gain perspective.  His upbeat, positive energy is contagious.  Nick was born without limbs--no arms or legs.  He talks about his struggles, and how the love of Jesus has transformed his life.  He reminds us that no matter what our circumstances in life, God will always be there to walk us through our trials.  His message is amazingly powerful.

I needed to see this video more than I realized.  It's amazing how easily we can lose our perspective.  Sometimes all we need is someone to remind us about our purpose, our identity, and that yes, God is here to walk us through whatever trials we may face.  You can check out more of Nick's story here.  Hopefully, this video will affect you greatly, and like me, help you to gain perspective.

Blessings.

Rabbit Trails and Detours

New times require new blogs.

My original blog, AnnaSophia--God's Miracle has been a wonderful tool to keep family and friends updated on my daughter's medical journey.  AnnaSophia was born with life-threatening heart defects which eventually led to her need for a heart transplant.  Over time, the blog evolved, containing not only medical updates, but updates on the entire family.  I wrote about my very personal thoughts as it related to watching AnnaSophia struggle to live and the challenges that our family faced. 

As our lives began to settle down, I became passionate about letting the world know that congenital heart defects (CHD's) are the number one birth defect in the world.  It kills more children than all childhood cancers put together.  I needed to let the world know about CHD's like I needed air to breathe.  AnnaSophia's blog will continue with updates about the children and, of course, information about congenital heart defects, but sometimes I've felt the need to write things that are "off topic".

That leads me to Rabbit Trails and Detours.

Rabbit trails typically have a negative connotation.  Most people see these paths as a waste of time, but I am optimist.  I love rabbit trails! Well, let me clarify.  Most people don't like being led away from the topic at hand, only to realize that it led them nowhere.  What I love are the unplanned little mental meanderings that lead me to new information, unexpected enlightenment or simply a wonderful laugh.  Rabbit trails are those thoughts that temporarily take over my mind, steering me away from my current thought process to an unexpected little mental vacation.  Sometimes there is treasure at the end of a these paths, and no matter how hard I try, I find myself hopping happily down a rabbit trail.

Detours.  Life is full of them.  We might have an idea of what our life will be like, but then there are circumstances that temporarily change our direction.  Sometimes detours take us down a different path, but to the same end.  Other times, detours can change the entire landscape of our life.  I've found myself taking a detour from what I originally envisioned my life to be.

After 15 and 1/2 years of marriage, I find myself walking down the path of divorce.  Divorce is the death of a marriage.  Death requires grieving, and I have grieved...deeply.  Divorce can be like an all-consuming wildfire that devours everything in its path.  So often I find myself trying to quench the flames of destruction, protecting my children like some crazed mama grizzly bear. 

Even though this is not how I envisioned my life to be, I have confidence in knowing that God knew this would happen.  He's led me through worse times of pain and uncertainty.  Like a forest that has been burned by wildfire, there comes a time when new growth appears and the soil is richer.

Divorce has caused me to re-evaluate my life and look at my future differently.  My goals are different now.  My reason for living is different now than when I was married.  My hope for my children is that God will take their wounded hearts and heal them.

Rabbit Trails and Detours.  A new blog for my new life.  My desire is that we will find treasure down our rabbit trails and companionship on the detours.  And please, if there is a rabbit trail or detour that you would like to see me write about, please let me know.

Blessings.