Times Such As These...

Being Grateful for Times such as these, I have come to know is more important than any other.
It doesn't take a discriminating eye these days to see that Right Now, alot of people are struggling to make ends meet, to make sense of trials and all that is going "wrong" in society. Of course, there's lots of finger-pointing, blame-placing and other unbeneficial wastes of time to preoccupy ourselves to the point of frustraed distraction. All of that is pretty much over my head.
I don't have the inclination to look around for someone else to blame for my trials, Past or Present...I'm too busy trying to keep my head above water looking for "dry ground" as it were, because treading water becomes exhausting for even an expert swimmer, sooner or later.
Last year was a difficult one for us. Kent was unemployed for one very long long year. In the beginning, I thought it was only temporary...if someone had said to me that it was going to be a year long experience, I probably would've freaked out on the spot--found myself a corner to cry in and refuse to move. But that wasn't the case. For some reason, I just had hope that it would all resolve itself in the Lord's due time.
Last Thanksgiving, I thought it would be over with by Christmas. By Christmas, I was eyeing the New Year. By February, I was thinking by March. And by March, May.
And on and on it went.
Why was I so utterly optimistic? A few reasons: my faith, my friends ( who are all marvelous cheerleaders!),and my obligation and duty as a Mother to show my children How to Face A Trial. In my mind, there will come trials to my children that I have not had to face, and they need examples of perseverance and faith to draw upon when Life seems unkind and unfair (which it most certainly is!) so that they can move forward and not shrink in defeat. That was important to me. I couldn't plop down in a corner and suck my thumb, or walk around in an angry fit and I couldn't lay in bed wishing it all away. I kept busy.
Now that this trial is over with, and Kent is gainfully employed, you might think I would look back in anguish over what was asked of us. I do not. We came away from the experiences in Idaho a stronger family. We are each individually stronger people. We proved our Faith(" you don't know if you believe a thing or not until you live it"). We did not shrink away from our covenants, but leaned into them with our hearts. Did I have moments of despair? Yeah I did. But I would always pray for Strength and to be able to see things clearly. When trials come, as they most certainly do, it is easy to lose your focus, to become muddled up in the moments of darkness. So when that happens, I pray for strength to endure and vision to see the way clearly.
We find our weaknesses and our strengths in times such as these. Which is kinda weird, isn't it? I just think that the lessons we learned couldn't have been taught any other way. It appears Heavenly Father teaches us when we are most vulnerable...most humble. My heart was turned to my Father constantly...if He was speaking to me, I wanted to hear Him. I needed to hear Him.
And that seems to be when I learn the most. When my ears are preened to hearing the directions of the Spirit, I find the Peace I am seeking.
A Story:
When my oldest kids were 7 and 8 years old, we took them to Six Flags over Georgia.
Once in the Park, we took them to the scariest ride there: FreeFall. A huge tower that you are strapped into a seat which takes you straight up to the top which is several stories high, and then Dropped...reaching speeds up to 80mph.
I didn't tell the kids this was the scariest ride in the Park. We just directed them to get in and have fun! Well the ride was so intense that I could've cried too once we hit bottom. Danielle was in tears and David Scott was in disbelief.
They looked at me, and I just said, "Wow, that was scary, wasn't it? But guess what?! THAT is the scariest ride in the WHOLE PARK and YOU DID IT!!" For the rest of the day, we rode every single roller coaster and twisty-turny ride there was, without hesitation. And the FREEFALL became the Standard..."It's not as scary as Freefall! We can do it!" As my kids saw other children reluctant to go aboard other rides, I could see the confidence in my kids' faces--they even tried to encourage the other children to not be afraid. Afterall, they had ridden the Scariest ride in the Park, after that, everything else was Easy!

Perspective is everything. I want my kids to know they can face trials and challenges with Faith in God and Faith in themselves. They are stronger than whatever comes their way. There is nothing in this world so strong as your belief in yourself.
Times such as these demand the best in us. You cannot afford to be faint of heart right now. But we are not asked to do the hard things all alone. We have friends, family and others around who are put there to assist and encourage. I know my Idaho Journey would've been much more difficult had it not been for sweet kind, generous folks whom were put in my path for a divine reason. They taught me how to be more loving to others, and to not wait for opportunities to pass me by. And truly, my belief in an ever-watchful Heavenly Father was strengthened. He knows me, and despite all of my imperfections, loves me endlessly.
I am on dry ground and the veiw is beautiful. How thankful I am that I did not shrink, that God in His wisdom showed me my hidden strengths by which I have my own Standard...I can do hard things. With God nothing is impossible. Where there is Gratitude there is no Need, expecially is this true in times such as these.