Reminding me once again of the fact that THINGS COULD ALWAYS BE WORSE.
I wasn't sure how this new diet would play out being away from home for 2 days. Not just because Austin has soooo many amazing restaurants with ridiculously awesome food but because not a lot of places have a lot of options for a diet like this. But we actually ended up finding some fulfilling things to eat.
Did the giant moist looking,delicious smelling pancakes sound better than a salad?...I'll let you take a guess on that one. But wonder of all wonders we didn't die.It actually wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be.As hard as it's been in the past.
At the beginning of this illness and for a long time my eyes were so focused on how bad the trial was and what I didn't have that it was easy to lose sight of the good that I did have. On the fact that even the hardest, most challenging things going on in my life could always be worse...way worse.
Do I have my health? No....not yet. Am I in pain every day? Yep.But some days aren't as bad as others. Walking around the streets of Austin reminded me while it may cause me pain after awhile, at least I can walk. At least I can open my eyes and see the sights around me when some don't even get that privilege.
It could always be worse.
Okay so there are certain things I can't eat right now, but there are still a lot of things I can. So many times we're just eating for pleasure when there are so many out there striving to eat just for survival.A privilege we've lost sight of in America.
It could always be worse.
Only God's grace allows me to see that.And I have to rely on it constantly.It's not me.
Choosing to focus on the good in life will change the way you see the bad.It's so much more than the glass half full mentality. It's God centered thinking and it will change your life. It's one of the best gifts God has given me through this. If you can't change something you can change the way you look at it, right? It's that peace that passes all understanding (Philipians 4:7) that the bible talks about. That no one, not even yourself, can understand why in the midst of a trial, in the midst of pain and suffering you can have peace.That can only come from God.
Am I going through a trial in my life right now? Obviously. Am I alone? Nope. Some days harder than others. I won't deny that. I won't pretend not to still struggle with it, I do. That's the amazing thing about God's peace though. It's not just a one time thing. It's a gift that keeps on giving because we keep on needing it.
To an onlooker your situation might not seem as bad as somebody else's. Don't worry about that.A trial is always relevant to the person experiencing it. God understands your trial in a way no one else can. How you are looking at it is what matters.
God told us, "Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philipians 4:8
Being optimistic doesn’t mean that we have to be out of touch with reality. It means that even though we know the dire state of what we are going through we can make a decision to be positive in the midst of it.
To remember things could always be worse.
I know my life could. I know my life is in all actuality an incredibly blessed one.
I have an incredible family who I couldn't imagine my life without, an amazing husband who is so much more than just a best friend, I have an incredible group of genuine friends who I love to pieces,the list could go on and on.
But most importantly I have a God who loves me no matter what, I have Jesus who set me free and gives me hope.
If nothing else 'good' ever happened in my life I could still be happy, I could still be grateful just knowing that.
“I may not be where I need to be (or may like to be) but I thank God I am not where I used to be.”-Joyce Meyer
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