Just a Work in Progress

I love to write.  It helps me sort through the thoughts that swirl around in my head.  It helps me put some of the pieces to my unfinished puzzle together.  Another reason I blog is because I want to be real.  I want someone...anyone to be able to read my words and realize they are not alone.  They are not the only ones who stress over life, who cry over meaningless things, or get overwhelmed to the point they question God's purpose and his capabilities to use everything for good.

Mike and I celebrated our 15th anniversary on Sunday.  That is quite an accomplishment in my mind.  If I allow myself to "go there", sometimes I'm amazed we've made it this far.  Believe me I love my husband very much, but to be honest, I don't always like him.  That's an interesting concept if you actually let yourself marinate on it for a while.   How is it possible to love, but not like at the same time.  I've done a good bit of thinking on that lately and then yesterday while reading in Ecclesiastes chapter 3 the answer was given to me.

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

Solomon, while pursuing life's meaning, explains it perfectly.  There are going to be many different seasons of life; some of which we will welcome with a smile and others that we will grit our teeth and bare it.  No one enjoys the hard times.  Who wants to mourn?  Feel like giving up?  Hate?  Those are terrible feeling/situations we all find ourselves in at times.  However, Solomon, while pursuing  the meaning of life, goes on to explain to us something very inspiring:

What do people really get for all their hard work?  I have seen the burden God has placed on us all.  Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time.

Ecclesiastes 3:11-13

Keep the faith friends.  God is not finished with us yet.