No Camping Allowed
One of the greatest perks of going to a new church has been the amazing new friends God has brought across my path. These women of God have loved me, encouraged me, cried with me, and just blessed my heart in ways they will never know. I don't know why it amazes me so much to find like-minded sisters who share many of the same struggles I do, but I am blown away all the same. Finding a friend that 'gets' me is a rare find and I have been blessed with a few of them along the way.
The week before Christmas, I put in an application for a dog at a local shelter that I fell in love with and wanted so badly. A few mornings later I woke up to an email saying the dog was adopted by another family. To say I was bummed was a huge understatement. That age old mantra, "This just means God has something better for me" kept running through my head but it did nothing to ease my heartache. As I was sitting for a minute before starting my day, I thought to myself, "Wait a minute. Yes, I know God has a better dog out there for me but I am sad and that's okay." I took a few minutes to cry and sit in the pain, acknowledging that my heart was hurting. Later that day I shared my experience, and reaction, with a friend mentioned above and she told me a friend of hers told her once that it's okay to be sad and sit in our pain for a time but it's not okay to camp out there. Wise words, yes?
In continued conversations with my friend, we've talked about the hard things in life that are painful and how easy it can be to get caught up in pity parties and wallowing in the unfairness of life. If you have followed my blog, you may remember this post where I talked about spending some of my college journey in an endless 'Why me?' cycle and how it's only been in recent years that I've understood the roots of that cycle. That being said, I know I have to tread very lightly when it comes to feeling sorry for myself or wanting others to. Believe me when I say I feel like a total loser when saying that, but it's a very real reality for me and an awareness I am so thankful for.
This world is full of pain and heartache. You don't have to listen to the news, local or national, for more than a minute or two to know we are living in times of great hardship and sadness. In other countries, people are being killed for their faith or the color of their skin or because they were born in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even in our own country, with all the prosperity and rights afforded to us, unborn babies are killed by the millions, people are denied the healthcare they so desperately need, and parents choose addictions to the detriment of their own children.
Much closer to home, a good friend is grieving the loss of her son who was accidentally shot by his best friend. A little boy from my church is battling a second round with cancer as he waits for another person to die so he can have a liver transplant. Two women I once knew as strong and faithful Christians have forsaken God, and in one case, her children, to live in sin with other women.
True, there is on shortage of pain and heartache in this world we live in and until Christ comes again, it will only get worse. When we unpack our bags and camp out in our pain, we get in the way of allowing God to heal those hurts. We turn the focus inward, wanting pity and sympathy, instead of looking outward and upward. Don't get me wrong. Pain hurts. Jesus experienced His own share while here on earth and He sympathizes with us. Reaching out and leaning on others is part of walking through life and walking out our faith. But I'm here to challenge myself, and others if they like, to live a life where we acknowledge the pain and the hurt, and even allow ourselves to sit in it for awhile. But before we unpack the tent and sleeping bags, before we set up the grill to roast hot dogs and 'smores, let us remember that there is No Camping Allowed.
In continued conversations with my friend, we've talked about the hard things in life that are painful and how easy it can be to get caught up in pity parties and wallowing in the unfairness of life. If you have followed my blog, you may remember this post where I talked about spending some of my college journey in an endless 'Why me?' cycle and how it's only been in recent years that I've understood the roots of that cycle. That being said, I know I have to tread very lightly when it comes to feeling sorry for myself or wanting others to. Believe me when I say I feel like a total loser when saying that, but it's a very real reality for me and an awareness I am so thankful for.
This world is full of pain and heartache. You don't have to listen to the news, local or national, for more than a minute or two to know we are living in times of great hardship and sadness. In other countries, people are being killed for their faith or the color of their skin or because they were born in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even in our own country, with all the prosperity and rights afforded to us, unborn babies are killed by the millions, people are denied the healthcare they so desperately need, and parents choose addictions to the detriment of their own children.
Much closer to home, a good friend is grieving the loss of her son who was accidentally shot by his best friend. A little boy from my church is battling a second round with cancer as he waits for another person to die so he can have a liver transplant. Two women I once knew as strong and faithful Christians have forsaken God, and in one case, her children, to live in sin with other women.
True, there is on shortage of pain and heartache in this world we live in and until Christ comes again, it will only get worse. When we unpack our bags and camp out in our pain, we get in the way of allowing God to heal those hurts. We turn the focus inward, wanting pity and sympathy, instead of looking outward and upward. Don't get me wrong. Pain hurts. Jesus experienced His own share while here on earth and He sympathizes with us. Reaching out and leaning on others is part of walking through life and walking out our faith. But I'm here to challenge myself, and others if they like, to live a life where we acknowledge the pain and the hurt, and even allow ourselves to sit in it for awhile. But before we unpack the tent and sleeping bags, before we set up the grill to roast hot dogs and 'smores, let us remember that there is No Camping Allowed.
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