For us, winter is a lean time financially. You know the drill. It’s cold. So the furnace and heaters run more. So the electric bill goes way up. For my husband, overtime at work slows down cuz the holidays are past. We’re in the off season for the Market, so a lot of the “extra” income is dried up.
All this after the expense of Christmas. Which, we keep Christmas buying toned down and aren’t afraid to shop thrift stores for gifts, but still. It adds up, and it’s extra out-go right before the extra lean winter blues time comes.
There’s a need for lean times, I think. Lean times are hard. But I do see that they can be good too. How’s that?
They force me out of my comfort zone.
They force me to look higher for help.
They force me to pull together with my husband and family.
They force me to find inventive ways to make do.
They force me to not take things for granted.
They force me to suffer.
How in the world is suffering good?!
Well, I’m certainly not saying I want to suffer, or that suffering in itself is something to attain to, but I do hold that my times of suffering have brought good for the same (and more) reasons above… and they have ended up a blessing in the end.
You know, as I think on it… all of life is about suffering. Perhaps, it’s time to grow up and accept my adulthood, humanity as it is. I don’t get to escape from all the things I don’t want to have to deal with–finances or otherwise. That’s not how this world works. The world isn’t wired so that I get to feel good every day. So that everything’s hunky dory every day. It’s not set up so that I get to do everything I want to do. I don’t even get to have everybody like me.?
Life isn’t about making me happy and having it easy. It’s about learning to be the loving, trusting, non-fearful human being I was created to be—whatever the situation. Mountain top.. or, valley. Comfortable.. or, challenging.
Suffering.. lean times.. remind us that we are able to handle much more than we think we can.
Suffering reminds us that there’s hope around the corner. You know….. the sunshine ALWAYS comes out after a stretch of bad weather.
Every. Time. ?
“In this world you shall have distress and pressure. But be happy. The world has been overcome.” -Jesus
