Man—it seems as though everyone's going through a period of testing these days. Devin is trying to find some balance (though he once again sounds chipper in his most recent post—the man's a bipolar wonder); Christina is struggling through school, single motherhood, and general madness; Slater is working through church issues and bousebuilding difficulties (it's hard to muster up much sympathy for a guy who goes out to breakfast with his wife every week, is indepdendently employed, and is planning a home on his own 10 acres of country paradise, but there you go); Skaggs is making us cry about his poor wee son and the heart-wrenching trials they've been through; Beth has had her head pop off and a giant change of life thrust upon her and her family; and Kathie, though her recent posts have been about humorous bathroom noises, is leaving tear-inducing comments on everyone else's blogs and struggling with her own issues.
Egads.
Makes my petty whining here seem pretty pitiful. Yesterday morning I was all set to post about how miserable I was after another night of not much sleep and grading still left undone, but (a) after whining and moaning and kicking at the goads trying to guess what God wanted from me, He came through in His own way, and (b) everyone else's posts put me in my place.
I'm not sure why this seems to be descending upon us all simultaneously—perhaps together our band is the single greatest threat to the forces of evil in America today, so we have to be kept separate and struggling. In a more serious vein, though, it certainly does point out the need for strong community. I know I wouldn't get through half of what I do without my friends' admonishment, counsel, and encouragement. Devin and I have been recently bemoaning the evil and pointless diversion the internet brings into our homes and lives, but at least in this it is a mighty powerful tool. I'm fairly certain I wouldn't hear from half of you half as often as I do without this—heck, without GoogleTalk I probably would have no clue at all that Slater was even married yet, or that he wasn't a hobo living under an overpass as we all though he would be. The idea that we get to keep up on one another's lives so quickly and easily is a blessing, albeit one that sometimes comes with ads for online gambling and penile enhancement products.
I haven't really found a place to be at peace yet, but knowing that others are going through their own seasons of trial and sharing in mine is a comfort. I'm praying for you all.
1 comment:
Thank you Mike.
I know what you mean by being humbled by other peoples' trials. I go through a lot of that myself. As I shared in one of my recent posts, it seems that whenever I start to feel sorry for myself or my situation with my kids and their dad, all craziness breaks loose with Andy and his kids and his ex. Whenever I'm about to complain, I'm reminded of how good I have it. I still complain anyway...hee hee! I think it's good to keep things in perspective, but I still also think it's important to share your struggles and complain if you need to. We're all in different places, which is actually really cool because we can't always relate, but can always pray, sympathize, and learn from each other. Hopefully we'll continue to build each other up too, and we're probably able to do that even moreso because we're NOT all going through the same things at the same time. Just my two cents. Complain away Master Slusser :)
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