Band-aids

   This year God has been teaching me many things, even when I don't necessarily want to be taught. Most notably would be- (and I know this is probably a big lesson for everyone)- to fully rely on Him. I know this is something I will continually have to work on and strive for. Trusting completely in Christ wont happen overnight, but I've struggled with it quite a bit in the past few months especially.
   When you're younger it almost seems like the worst injuries can always be fixed by your mom or a band-aide (it may even take both if it's really bad). As you get older you slowly begin understanding more about what goes on in the world and realize there are much worse things than a rug-burn or where your brother bruised you. Still, even then, as you begin diving headlong into what we commonly call life (or what some call the biggest adventure possible), troubles come. Every story worth reading has trials right? so, every life worth living is going to have some.
    My family and I have gone through a lot of those lately. And you want to know the toughest thing I realized through it all? I can't fix everything. I can't make people feel completely okay. I'm powerless to stop the ordeals and hardships from pressing on the ones I love the most, and would do anything for. I can't make the problem disappear with a comforting word. I can't just stick a band-aid on it anymore.
 But someone can.
Maybe it's just me, but I think the hardest thing to do is watch someone you love being crushed by the worries and trials of the world. truly and honestly it is the most painful kind of torture to the soul.
Here's the catch: we have a hope. What's the hope? what could possibly remedy the feeling of utter uselessness and inability to heal the hurt of the ones you love? well...the hope we have in Jesus Christ. "phhht, oh yeah, with all the soul crushing I'm sure HE just heals everything right up, huh?"- you may be saying, and the answer is yes...and no. "she's finally gone off the deep-end, it can't be both." But it's true, He doesn't always heal it right up. News flash for ya- God's plan hardly ever fits into your "perfect" human one. We are usually incapable of seeing God's big picture as it plays out, sometimes we never do. That's when faith comes in and when those who don't have this faith are convinced that those who do are crazy- They don't see the happenstances of the world through the eyes of a renewed and hopeful heart. We have faith that it is all in His hands and that he works all things together for good. He has a plan for you. Everything you have gone through is just the steep climb before reaching the top to see the gorgeous view.
   I don't know if this completely relates to what I began writing this blog post about, but I think it all ties together. The tempestuous -(yes, this is one of my favorite words, meaning: 'Characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotion')- times in my family, though slowly being mopped-up, I still don't see much  meaning in. But looking back on it all, I now have more appreciation for my amazingly incredible family and the mysterious ways of God. Maybe everything that happened wasn't even to impact my family and I; in the long run, maybe it's someone we don't even realize who God is working in through all of it.
   Have hope. Have Faith. You can't live without them, and they are both only found in Jesus Christ.

:)