Three Little Words

WHAT THREE WORDS CHANGED YOUR LIFE?

Life is crazy. I mean you can be a kid and your mom yells TIME FOR SCHOOL! And your in kindergarten and eating graham crackers with milk and learning to read and suddenly you hear three little words can change your life. WELCOME FRESHMAN CLASS.

Life moves so fast and the thing that amazes me the most are the three word sentences that can change everything. Think of those sentences that have so much impact on our lives. Meet your brother. Meet your sister. Can I drive?  Welcome to college. You free Saturday? I love You! Kris Marry me. Yes, I do! Kiss the bride. I am pregnant. Its a girl! Name her Emily. Its a boy!  Name him Danny.

Then you can be cruising through life 34 years old and bouncing your baby on your knee and the words change:

You need surgery!
Its your spine!
God is great!
Its a girl.
Name her Faith!

Then your world changes, you are 52 and watching your kids become adults and your wife becoming more and more beautiful with age. You can be attending volleyball games and 4-H meetings and church and family dinners and suddenly three little words can change your life! You have Parkinson's.

I know it sounds dramatic but it is amazing that we can say "oh I might have this set back but it will not control me". But we find that some days it does. The simplest of things can be such a struggle and no matter how we try to hide our troubles those that really love us still see our struggles and they are there and they say CAN I HELP? Let me say that again....Those who really know us and love us are there and they see the struggles that we try to keep secret and the challenges we are fighting and they are there to love us.

I am not just talking about Parkinson's but about so much more. I can't walk through a single day of my life that I do not see a friend or neighbor struggling with their own challenges. Cancer. The loss of a daughter. Financial challenges. Loneliness. That was just today. I know we all have struggles but when I see what a friend is going through and it makes my challenges seem so minuet.

Think about this....I take up to  25 pill a day. I have lost 37 pounds. I only sleep about 4 hours a day. I stumble. I shake. I trip. I choke on my food. I slur my words. I am in pain. I get confused. I get leg, arm, foot and shoulder cramps. My legs get weak.

My friend who is fighting cancer takes 5 times that many pills a day plus chemo. He has lost 60 pounds. He spends days with endless vomiting. Sleep is pointless. His bones are achy. His muscles burn. and so much more. How does he do it?

Then I remember where I live. Then I remember my wonderful community. My family. My friends. I am reminded that yes all of these people have their daily struggles but we are blessed because we have such a great support group in this little town. A hand shake. A hug. A wink. A smile. I am praying for you.

Oh course there is also the obvious:

GOD HEARS YOU!
GOD IS LOVE!
GOD IS BIGGER!
GOD WHISPERS GRACE!
GOD LOVES YOU!

SO DO I!

So as I sit here typing this at 1:00 in the morning  I wonder where this is going. I wonder what can I do to make it better and I wonder how is this impacting my family. Then I remember GOD IS GRACE. GOD IS LOVE. Most of all I know that I have put it in his hands and his plan is always so much better then mine. His grace is so much more then I deserve.

So many years ago I learned to be patient and trust in God. I learned that if I lay it at his feet and wait he will answer my prayers way better then what I could have asked for. So now when I pray I don't say God do this and that for me. Instead, I place it at the cross and I know that he will fix it his way, in his time and it will be way better then what I wanted.

I know it may sound crazy but try it. You will find peace. In this life if we carry our troubles it will make us crazy. November is a month to be grateful, be grateful for those in your life. Let God carry your troubles. Let your friends walk with you. I know my life is better because God carries me and my family and friends are with me as I make "My Journey."

LOVE YOU MORE!