Surviving with a Smile

4 ER visits Fraud on Checking, Savings and Money Market account cancer scare biopsy family drama no money flooded basement mud no clothes no toys no beds death

I’ve had a few people ask me how I’m surviving and getting through everything that has happened to my family the last couple of months so I thought I’d take some time to express my thoughts and feelings and to explain how I’m getting through it all.

My brother-in-law came over yesterday to help with the mud clean up and one of the first things he says to me when coming through the door was “So are you feeling like Job?” my answer is simply “yes, I guess I am.”

Up until that moment I hadn’t thought much about Job or anything biblical. I actually had to go and read up on Job to make sure that I remembered the Old Testament story correctly. After reading up on Job I do see how it really can fit but it hadn’t been the knowledge of what Job had gone through that has helped me through these challenges, instead it’s been something my Bishop had taught once when I invited him in to one of my lessons that I taught to the Young Woman.

During this lesson the topic turned to “Why do good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people?” I’ve personally always had that question in my mind and yes there are lots of answers as to why, but it was what Bishop Meyersick said that has helped me the most in understanding that question and thus has helped me through these repeated challenges. Bishop explained it in a very simple way “Satan will reward those who are doing bad to keep them from making a change. Satan wants to keep them under his power.” He then explained why bad things happen to good people “The Lord doesn’t want bad things to happen to his children. The Lord isn’t out to cause us pain and grief, it’s just part of the plan and what we signed up for when coming to earth. We are here to learn and grow. Satan has another plan though and he does cause bad things to happen. He wants bad things to happen to good people and spends extra time on the righteous to temp them to curse their God and to turn their back on Him. He wants us to change our path.” (not direct quotes but what I remember!!) I have not been the same since that lesson. I’ve looked at challenges differently.

God Loves Me. God Loves My Family and these challenges can either get us down and turn us from our Lord or it can make us stronger. I have chosen to have it make me stronger and so has my family.

This doesn’t mean that I’m not tired of the challenges. This doesn’t mean that I haven’t had a few tears. This doesn’t mean that I haven’t said “enough is enough”. This doesn’t mean that I haven’t done as Job did and ask “why”. I’m only human but we can not change what has happened or what will happen, we just must have faith. Faith, that with the Lords help, we can get through anything that is placed before us.

To quote a friend of mine "Disappointment and discouragement are tools of the devil. He's a jerk. Why would I let him in anyway?"