What About Life?

So as I sit with my family having a Little Ceasars five dollar pizza by candle light I start to ponder over the range of emotions I've experienced the last several weeks. Any of you that have been reading our blog know what we have gone through. It hasn't been easy. We've been tested in so many ways and it feels like life just continues to throw stuff at us. Just the other day I was on a call and watched a young woman die right in front of me. She took her own life. So I run over and over in my mind what could be so bad that would cause a person to think that ending their own life is their only option. I will never understand, my only hope is that God is waiting for them on the other side and His mercy covers them. That is my prayer for all of us...that God covers us in His grace when we face hard times. I'm not trying to say that what we have faced has been as bad as what was going on in her life. All I am trying to say is life isn't always fair to any of us. Her life coming to such a tragic end has effected everyone who new her or who came into contact with her in many different ways. There is a line in one of my favorite movies that always sticks with me. When a man complains about his situation and the adversity he faces saying he never wished for his situation, his friend responds by saying "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us." I don't think anything can decribe it better than that. I have experienced frustration, anger, sadness, confusion and so many other feelings in the last few weeks that it's hard to summarize my thoughts. And yet through all of the bad I feel as though God reveals himself in extrodinary ways. I have such an amazing love and appreciation for my family. I see my son and daughter with such a powerful love and hope for their future. Just looking at them lately can bring a tear to my eye. My wife is the most supportive, caring, compassionate person I have ever know. Her love for our family cannot be measured. The love of parents have been experienced from my point of view in both directions. What my parents and grandmother did for us I will never forget. The time they spent with us recently and the blessing they have been will forever remind me of the uncompromising love a parent has for their children. The love shared with us by our friends caught me off guard. It comes from the most unexpected places sometimes...it truly amazes me. SO in closing all I am trying to say is through all the tough times we have, and the emotional roller coaster we ride, God is always there. Constantly trying to remind us to just look up! Sometimes I think God has to guide us through struggles to remind us of all the blessings we have. The hard times in our life shine the blessings we have even brighter. It's an incredible reminder of the fact that we do not walk alone and that He has promised us a future abundant with hope and love.