Possibilities not problems

Life has a way of just sneaking up on us, you know? 

One minute things are heading in the right direction and then BAM you need new brakes on your car AND get an unexpected medical bill that puts you two steps behind where you were.

Or your whole house ends up on a constant cycle of sickness throwing your normal “routine” totally off in the midst of job changes and schedule readjustments.  Or maybe, things just stink – it’s one seemingly minor issue/problem/frustration after another with no “good problems” sprinkled in there anywhere.

It’s just all part of the ride, we all know that.  Adulthood can really stink (except that you can eat Oreos for dinner if you want too, there is nothing bad about that) and it can just be plain hard to deal with. This week I was reminded (at church) that everything that comes at us, even when we are SURE there is no good at.all that can come out of it, is a possibility.  Not a problem.

I have had my share of unplanned, unwanted possibilities in life – particularly in recent years – and especially in the past 7 months.  When I had Aleesia and was on maternity leave, the careful financial planning we had done to prepare for my leave was totally thrown out the window by something that we did not see coming – the effects of which are just now being alleviated.  Financial stress is one of the worst kind to have (health issues, notwithstanding) because obviously it affects every other facet of life.

It was a situation that was a little scary and a LOT frustrating, but I had a sense of peace about it all. I prayed about it, for that peace that I felt, and that everything would just work out.  I didn’t know HOW it was going to work out or what was going to happen – but it did.  A client unexpectedly paid in full three months early at just the time a payment was scheduled to go out.  A credit was issued at just the right time. All of these things that we had no control over just kept happening paired with a lot of hard work and things were okay.  I knew we were doing everything that we could and the rest would come and all would be well.  And it was.  The possibilities kept presenting themselves just when we needed to see them. 

Mike started a new, just okay, job in September.  And then he was almost immediately offered a different, much much better, opportunity. He was open to anything and the possibilities with his new position are unknown, in a good way.  We need some of these possibilities in our lives to be good ones – and this one is for sure.

The possibilities are everywhere in life – good, bad, scary, exciting, life changing or not – we are presented with so many things each day.  I have always been a glass-half-full type of person, it takes a LOT to get me down and I don’t ever stay there long but I still can be negative and mad and upset about situations in my life.  But when I started approaching each decision with a  “what if” attitude and looking at each challenge or problem as a possibility my whole world started to change.

What if that new position teaches me something I didn’t even know I wanted to learn?  What if eating that three musketeers bar motivates me to run 4 miles to burn it off? What if our financial situation teaches us to live more simply today to provide us with so much more than we could imagine in the future? What if talking quietly when Gianna is having a meltdown helps her calm down quicker?

I just  feel such a peace, that there is no problem that can’t be resolved, no situation that can’t be brought under control and things have just been GOOD! I feel good, I don’t stay upset about things for long, I have more patience most of the time. Of COURSE I still feel stressed and angry at times, life is such an evolving adventure right now it would be pretty hard to stay in my little peaceful bubble all the time no matter how hard I try.  (I do try to take at least one thing/situation a day and make SURE I see the positive/possibility it holds – even (and especially) on days that just plain suck)

Somehow, I have found a way to give up a little control (to Him, truly) and it has made  world of difference – I know He will lead me through whatever is at hand, even if I have no clue how we are going to make it to the other side.  And for that, I am so thankful – I am more present in my life and fully feel the blessings (big and teeny tiny) that come my way. 

I don’t mean to get all peace and love for everyone here but I just felt like it was something I needed to get off my chest.