Quit whining, already!

Yesterday morning we woke up to six inches of snow on the ground and bitter-cold temperatures. On any normal Thursday morning, this would have been okay with me. I have the luxury of working from home, so my normal routine would include getting myself a cup of coffee, spending a little time with my bible, and settling into my comfy office chair in front of my computer for the day . . . occasionally glancing out my window from my toasty-warm quarters. But, yesterday was unlike a typical Thursday. Our family was scheduled to spend the day helping out at the Sister Carmen Community Center in Lafayette, a tradition we began with Tom’s side of the family a few years ago when we wanted a more meaningful way to express ourselves during Christmas. On this very uncomfortably cold day, I dreaded bundling up and heading out. I whined to Tom that there probably wouldn’t be many people showing up at the center because of the difficult driving conditions, and I said that maybe we should have thought about scheduling it for another day after hearing about the impending snow storm. I secretly hoped that we’d get a call saying that the center was going to be closed for the day so that we could reschedule on a more pleasant day. Shame on me, I know! We got the call that the center was open, so we bundled up in layers, not knowing what to expect, and headed out as a family. I was immediately impressed by the operation. It is a very large facility with amazing staff members who kindly showed us around (all 24 of us!) and explained their wonderful programs – not only for food distribution, but education and safe house help. My cold heart began to thaw a bit. We were asked to split up into groups and tackle different projects before the people started coming in. Kenzie, Taylor and I went over to the waiting area and began sweeping and cleaning the area filled with toys and activities for kids to occupy their time while their parents “shopped” at the food bank. In the middle of my sweeping job, one of the staff members asked if I wouldn’t mind working at the front desk answering phones. Sounded warm and fun, so of course I obliged. Throughout the day, as I answered the calls that came in, my greeting, “Good morning, Sister Carmen Center, may I help you?” was answered with sometimes desperate pleas. One woman called saying that she needed help with rent. Another called and told the story of her husband getting laid off, saying that they had no food in the house and was wondering if the center could help. Still another called confirming her appointment with the Safe House counselor. With each call, I felt horribly ashamed for my whiny attitude earlier that day. And the calls continued. Many other volunteers called in asking if we needed more help that day . . . it wasn’t normally their day to come in, but they wanted to see if they could come in . . . despite the road conditions and cold temperatures. The final call melted my heart to the core. A woman called in asking if the center could provide her some food. I was supposed to ask each caller where they resided so that I could determine if we were the right center location-wise, or if they needed to contact a center that served their area. So, I asked the question, “where do you live?” After a brief silence on the other end, the woman replied that she was homeless, and found herself between the Louisville and Lafayette areas most of the time. My heart went up into my throat, and I assured her that she should come in right away and get some food. One of the other volunteers there told me that the center could most likely help her with shelter as well. When we hung up, I flashed back to my cozy office space back at home, the freedom I have to crank up the heat or flick on the fire whenever I was chilly, choose from a closet full of clothes every day, make a cup of cocoa or grab a snack whenever I was hungry, take a bubble bath at a moment’s notice. Oh, how good I have it. I’m grateful for all of those good things, but it wasn’t until I contrasted it with this poor woman’s plight, that I was deeply grateful for it, and quite humbled. Next time I find myself whining about the inconveniences that show up in my life, I’ll remember this woman, and so many more like her, who have nothing. Thank you to all of the wonderful people at the Sister Carmen Community Center, who through your tireless work, compassion, and love, give these people a helping hand. This Christmas, I’ll count my blessings, even amidst the minor inconveniences and trials of my most wonderful life.

Why We Struggle

I sometimes think that life would be much simpler if I could just pick up my family, move to some tropical island, and spend the days floating on the water, sipping pineapple juice, and building sand castles. We’d be sheltered from all problems, all suffering, all fear. Sounds perfectly perfect, right? But, in the long run, would it really be all that good? Would we really be the people we are today if it were easy all the time? We’d all love it if our lives were easy, problem-free, and painless. Why is it that we have to endure pain, heartache, uncertainty, fear, loss, and despair?
I found a glimmer of the answer in a reflection I was reading on Genesis 37 by author, Hanna Whitall Smith. She writes, “It is no matter who starts our trial, whether human, or devil, or even our own foolish self. If God permits it to reach us, He has by this permission made the trial His own, and will turn it for us into a chariot of love which will carry our souls to a place of blessing that we could not have reached in any other way.”  
Think about the trials you’ve endured and come through on the other end, whether it was the loss of a loved one, a serious illness, the shame in something from your past, or a stumble that turned into a big-time face plant. No matter what, you are likely different, and better, for having come through it. Had you never experienced the depths of the trial, you wouldn’t be the person you are today. And the biggest comfort in this truth is that He is with us every step of the way. As the author reveals, God takes our trials on as His own. He only lets those in that will “carry our souls to a place of blessing that we could not have reached in any other way.”
Indeed, in our struggles, we find God walking right alongside us, anticipating the great blessings that will come into our lives from having done so. And it is in this parternship, that we find true comfort and joy. Let Him hold your hand today as you move through your journey, and be comforted in the truth that you are being led to a place of abundant blessings, a place that you wouldn’t have known had you not endured the struggle.