Life Seems to Keep Happening - Here's What You Can Do About It
Turned 40 this year and you know how they say things get easier with time? Yeah, I don't know about all that. Different days different struggles it seems. It's been over a year since I wrote on here. That's crazy! Every time I disappear from here it's mainly due to "life happening". Why does life stay happening though? Lol. You'd think at 40 one would have somewhat of a grip on this thing. Not so my friend.
I've had the urge to write lately though but not knowing what to write had me stuck. Today the words "beauty for ashes" came to me and so I figured that's what I'll share today to encourage not just you, but for me as well.
I found myself getting to a point where all the cliche words of encouragement actually almost pissed me off. I mean, I would read the words and do a deep and hard eye-roll, lol. As if to say "who you tryna fool?? Cause it sure ain't me!" I guess they call it cynical. I'm just trying to be very cautious so that I don't become bitter cause I know nothing good can come from that.
Here's the thing though, I know deep in my soul that there are better days ahead. But you see the way my patience is set up...lol. So now we're just here frustrated, irritated, and sad many days. There's a Kirk Franklin song where he says "see, I just don't want you to be happy - cause then you gotta have something 'happ-ening'. I want you to have joy 'cause can't nobody take that from you." And that's sort of where I've found myself lately...as long as there's stuff happening I'm good. But when it's just me, myself, and I...it's a different story.
So realizing I've written all this and not even touched on the whole "beauty for ashes", LOL. I'm not gonna drag it out and have you rolling your eyes as well. Much less rolling them at ME, lol. The phrase comes from the scripture found in Isaiah 61:3
To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.
And so at the end of the day, this is a promise from God, and I just have trust that He's not a man that He should lie. Think about this, ashes can only come from something that's been burned, aka destroyed and dead. Typically when you're mourning, it's because someone's died, you've lost something, or something's been destroyed beyond repair. God is saying He'll give us something beautiful and amazing despite what/who we lost so that HE can get the glory. So even though by all accounts we should be mourning and in despair, because "life" keeps happening (I can attest). He'll get the glory because only He can turn a dead situation around. So what should we do in the meantime? Like our boy Kirk Franklin said...Smile. Better is coming.
I'll close with these two things - The preceding Bible verse of the one above:
He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. (Isa 61:2)
And the Kirk Franklin song from which the lyrics I referenced earlier can be heard:
Stay Blessed!