This morning I am going to start off just a little bit differently, because I’d like to share something from a dream I had last night. Do you ever seem to get little messages from certain dreams? I rarely take ‘advice,’ and really give most dreams a second thought, but last night was just a bit different. I woke up with a quote in my head, which I thought I had just made up. It was: “When life gets easy, who are you?”
Now, upon first thinking about this, I thought… well, that’s dumb… that doesn’t even make sense. Then, I decided I would just write it down and let it sit until I figured out if it meant something.
When I went to my morning devotional, “Jesus Calling,” I opened it up to a page with this right smack in the middle: “When the path before you looks easy and straightforward, you may be tempted to go it alone, instead of relying on me,” speaking of the spirit within you. The second I read this I ran and grabbed a notecard (the one you see on my desk in the picture) and wrote it down again. I knew exactly what it meant at this point.
Lately, in my journal I have been writing about how good life is, and how thankful I am for this time of peace and ease. I know that life always has its ups & downs, hard times and good times, but this season has just been one of great joy, and honestly, it has been “easy.”
Now, you may be thinking “easy? What is she talking about? How does she think life is easy when she’s constantly talking about how busy her life is, how much school work she has, how much studying is going on, etc…” Well, I had the same thought cross my mind, and this is what I came up with.
Life is not about all the “fluff.” To me, the “fluff” of life includes: school, job, the clothes you wear, the car you drive, etc. These are all things that I choose to have in my life, and therefore don’t really have room to complain about them. If I really wanted to, I could drop any of these things at anytime. I am the one choosing to put myself through nursing school, choosing to buy a new car, choosing to be a nanny, and choosing to dress myself nicely. If any of those things bother me enough that I need to constantly complain about them, it’s my own job to drop them, or work on them. I should in turn be thankful for these things, and see them as additions to my life.
To me, the heart of life, where meaning is really involved, is through: love, patience, peace, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and kindness. Yes, the fruits of the spirit. This all comes down to Character. Character is the most important thing to us, and quite frankly, I believe it should come first. We should be there for our family and friends first, we should be generous first, we should choose honesty first, we should always practice patience, we should chose self-control first, we should always choose peace first, and we should always practice faithfulness. This is the “heart” of living.
After that reflection of realizing what the “heart” of living was, I also knew what it meant that my life was at an “easy” point right now; my family is healthy, my life is full of love, my heart constantly feels happy, and I have felt so at peace lately. For all of this, I am so grateful. But lets face it, when life is “easy,” isn’t it also easier to consistently stop and be thankful for it? When things are hard on the other hand, it’s EASY to realize how hard we have it, and to wonder “why is this happening to me?” I realized this morning that it is so important to appreciate all the times that we go through, but to really enjoy and be grateful for the easier times too, and never take them for granted.
I am so appreciative for all that I have, for the love that I’ve been given, for the health that the people I love attain, for the health that I attain, and for the potential/ability I have been given to do the things I love. When I ask myself that first question again, “when life gets easy, who are you?” I choose to be someone who will pick character first, who is is always thankful for her circumstances whatever they may be, and someone who realizes that she is not going through it alone, but that it is her spirit within her, that makes her able.
Love to each and every one of you! I hope this has been nothing short of encouraging. I know it was encouraging for me this morning- that’s why I decided to share it 🙂
Healthy Hits the Spot 