Just accept the fact...

I've been reading the book that was sent to me. (which by the way, i found out who the culprit was, and there was no harm or hurt feelings!)

I came across something that really stuck out to me. Here is it.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4

Wow. No more tears, no more death, no more mourning or crying or pain. It seems like sometimes life is nothing but full of those things.

I have come to the realization that it is ok to feel those things. Those things are God given. We are created in God's image, and that means that the emotions and feelings are all God created. It is ok to cry, mourn, and feel pain.

The significant thing about the devotion that I read was this:

"Life is difficult. This is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters."- The Road Less Traveled

I hope that my life has emminated that statement. In the past year, so many "bad" things have happened to our family. A house fire, hemmorhage, loss of employment, heart defect, car accidents, IRS issues, the list could go on and on. Our life has been nothing but turmoil, conflict, and problems.

However, Shane and I still find reason to laugh. I've said for a long time that if I don't laugh at our situation that I will cry. Laughing is more fun! By laughing and joking about our situation we are not downplaying the gravity of what is going on. It's choosing to say "the fact that life is difficult no longer matters."

We have our eyes on the prize- a place with no more tears, pain, mourning, crying, or death. A place we can't even begin to imagine because we have no frame of reference for. A place that will be beyond wonderful.

We are well aware of the situation that we are facing with Joshua and his special heart. We are well aware that after our house sells, we may be living in a tiny apartment somewhere. We are well aware that our marriage could crumble at any time, or that one of our children could become gravely ill in a matter of days. We are well aware that life is going to be hard for us. We just choose to acknowlege that life is hard and move on from the fact.

We will still mourn, grieve, cry, and feel pain. But, if we keep our eye on the prize, we ultimately will come out on top- to a place with no more suffering. Period. Thank God!