The Rollercoaster of Life
This past week has been eventful for me, to say the least. My private practice is very full and active. I thoroughly enjoy what I do as a therapist because I consider it a rare privilege to be able to help people through often dark times in their lives. There is nothing I would rather be doing but helping people live better lives.
Meanwhile, I continue to live my own life which has its share of ups and downs like everyone else. This past week, our oldest son visited with his fiance and we had a wonderful time as a family celebrating a truly delightful new member God has brought to our family. Incredible JOY visited our home this past week.
Then on a sadder note, a very good friend had a seizure and learned that he has a brain tumor. There is so much he still does not know and the sea of uncertainty he and his wife have found themselves in is a lot to process. I have been involved with him and his family in this crisis while also appreciating the special times in my own family.
Isn’t this really how life is for all of us? We can have amazing moments while living in the midst of suffering and pain. We somehow have to find a way to journey through the roller coaster that life can be.
I’m sure each of you have ups and downs happening as we speak and I just want to encourage you with a scripture that I often go to because it acknowledges that we can be overcome with anxiety and that we have a choice to either be buried by this worry or to put our focus on higher things.
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Most importantly, find someone to talk to about what is consuming you. We are designed to live in community and not meant to shoulder pain by ourselves. As the Author T.A. Webb wrote, “A burden shared is a burden halved.”