“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
I was recently taking a walk and I ran into a neighbor who I hadn’t seen in a while. We live down the street from each other, but rarely get to talk, We usually wave as we pass each other in the road. I love to talk to her. She’s always laughing, always has funny stories and always has encouraging words.
I stopped in front of her house and we started getting caught up on each other’s lives. Her kids are a little older that mine. One is in college and one recently got married. I was chattering on about my summer and she was telling me some funny stories about hers.
Then she told me that her daughter had suffered a miscarriage. She was going to be fine, but was really disappointed. It was fairly early, but they had seen the heartbeat. My neighbor was thankful that she could be with her. They would try again soon. A little later in the conversation, she told me that her son’s dog had run away on the same day that they were scheduled to be out of town for a wedding and also on the same day that he was scheduled to be a pall bearer at the funeral of a friend who had died suddenly and tragically.
But, she was happy to report that they did find the dog. I stopped her at this point and said to her, “You had a terrible summer.”
She took a breath and acted a little surprised at my words and admitted that, yes, it had been a rough summer for them. I told her how sorry I was to hear it and that I would keep her family in my prayers and she thanked me.
We chatted a little longer and said our goodbyes. I thought about what a tough season she had been through and how she wasn’t complaining at all, but just telling her story. I thought about how important that it was for her to be able to tell it honestly. But, perhaps most importantly, that she could acknowledge, and have someone else acknowledge her tough season.
I think that many of us believe that to be good Christians, we are supposed to smile through the pain, no matter what and just count our blessings, because we have so many. Sometimes we can be guilty of telling others to do the same. Being a glass half-full kind of gal, I always attempt to look for the blessings in my own life.
But, sometimes, there are valleys. Sometimes we suffer through rough seasons. In those seasons, we should remember that it’s okay to acknowledge our pain and disappointment. It’s okay to share it with others and it’s okay to cry out to God, remembering that we never walk alone and the season will eventually pass.
A conversation with a neighbor reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂