| So a few days ago I was really hurt by a friend. Yea, that sucked….a lot! So apart from feeling the hurt of rejection, I was also really angry. This friend, who was supposed to be…well….a friend, really wasn’t. So, through my anger, I would mentally picture running this friend over with a bus, and then poking holes in stick figures. But this wasn’t making me feel any better. If anything, it made me feel worse. I grew frustrated and impatient with this friend, this situation, and even a little with God. Then it hit me. In the past few weeks, I had been praying for patience, kindness, and love. But in the middle of my anger spaz attack, I had realized that I wasn’t showing any of those qualities. I realized at this moment, that God had given me a perfect opportunity to be patient, and to be kind and loving. I learned that when one prays for patience, HE doesn’t just automatically give you that strong withstanding feeling of being able to tolerate anything. Instead, HE gives you an opportunity to be patient. To be patient with a friend you’re not too fond of at the moment, a situation that seems unfair, and questions that have gone unanswered. When one prays for kindness and love, HE doesn’t just give you that warm fuzzy feeling on the inside. Instead, HE provides you with an opportunity to be kind, and to be loving. This was one very hard lesson to learn, but it’s an even harder one to practice. None of us is ever promised a life free of pain and disappointment. Rather, the most any of us has been promised is that we won’t be alone. We can draw upon a source outside ourselves for strength and courage. God doesn’t cause our misfortunes, but rather helps us through them. When you stop looking at the difficulties in your life as obstacles and start seeing them as stepping stones, you will rise above your difficulties and gain something from them. They will make you stronger and wiser. |
