The events of my life over the last 24 hours have had me thinking quite a bit. The events of the past week have had most of America thinking quite a bit.
Although most of us are sweating the financial crisis the country is in the middle of, we probably have many blessings that we don’t take the time to appreciate because we don’t have time, we take them for granted, or we are too stressed over the negative things in our lives.
For the last two days I have been putting plastic on the windows of our 1928 house with windows that leak like crazy in the winter. I took a break from working and was playing with my puppy. The weather today was unusual for October. We are near 80 degrees. My daughter was raking leaves while I pet my puppy, enjoyed the sunshine and realized that my life really is pretty good.
Last night I talked with a teen family member who is facing an unplanned pregnancy. My relationship with my family is strained at best and my emotional support of this young woman is probably going to make things worse. She is scared, confused and very worried. We talked about her options and I asked her about adoption. She is open to the possibility of an open adoption, but everything is still in the early stages and decisions do not need to be made right now.
This situation has weighed heavy on my heart and mind since this discussion. I am powerless to change this situation and all I can do is offer support and pray. Sometimes that is all that is required of us, but it is human nature to want to help and fix things.
Part of our scripture today was from Philippians. Verses 6-7 remind us:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
God has blessed me with two children, even though my son’s mental illness doesn’t always make it feel like a blessing. I am blessed to have a home, even if it is a home that is too large for our needs and we’d love to move. I am blessed with good health and the ability to work if I want to. I am blessed with enough food.
I will worry about this unplanned pregnancy. I will also pray and remind myself often that for all the worries that we have in the country right now, my life really isn’t so bad.
