Thankful Thursday 9/25/14 - struggles

Thursday was not my finest day.  I wasn't feeling 100% and I struggled with tasks.  My arms were still vibrating from my hedge-trimming escapade the night before.  I felt blah and run-down.  I wasn't living Murphy's law, but it was a challenge.  Every so often, I would stop and wonder, 'What is my problem?'  Then, I would look at the beautiful rose on my desk, and that was enough.  Enough to help me let go of my frustration, tiredness, and stress.  This cycle repeated many, many times during the day, as I would naturally slide back into the negatives.  At one point I smiled and asked God if the rose was God's nudge so I could appreciate life.  Life, which, on that day, included a lot of imperfections and acceptance of me as I was.

I think of life as the unfolding rose - there are tiny, imperceptible changes that happen as the rose blooms into its full glory.  On tough days, I am not always gentle with myself, expecting perfection or the 'final product'.  Instead, I need to allow myself to grow, and welcome the changes that occur.

An unfolding rose is beautiful in all of its growth.  So it is with me, even on the 'blah' days.    

I was reminded of the readings from Monday (http://usccb.org/bible/readings/092214.cfm) and our directive to, "Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim when it is in your power to do it for him." (Proverbs 3:27)  I didn't see an asterisk that said, 'Except on the days when you aren't on your game - then you can ignore this.'  Or from the Gospel of Luke, "'No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed;" (Luke 8:16).  It didn't have a footnote that read, 'This only works if the lamp is at full power.  Flickering lights need not apply.'  

                               

Hmm.  So, I need to accept that some days I am not going to meet, let alone exceed, my goals.  Even so, I am still growing and unfolding.  My weakness is not an excuse to whine nor is it a pass to hide under the covers.  I may not yet be able to say I am thankful for my struggles, but I can appreciate them as a part of life.  Life is not fair.  So what?!  Life is lived in the peaks AND the valleys.

Prayer - Lord, help me to accept my struggles and to use them as a means of growth.  Let me not get caught up in what I cannot do or control, but rather help me focus on You.