I didn\u2019t know about the school shooting in Florida until a co-worker mentioned it the next morning.<\/p>\n
OK, that\u2019s not entirely true. Before falling into bed the previous night, I did see something on social media about a shooting, but I didn\u2019t click to read more. I brushed by it \u2014 perhaps partly because of a growing cultural insensitivity to shootings and tragedies, but probably largely because of my preoccupation with my own\u00a0\u201chard\u201d life.<\/p>\n
And it took my ignorance the next morning for me to realize just how much I\u2019m focused on me.<\/p>\n
I started a new job a month ago. I just bought my first house and am juggling all the renovations and coordinating paid labor and free labor (thanks, family and friends!). I\u2019m writing up lease agreements for roommates. Then I said yes to side work. And have I mentioned that my Sunday is usually full of church services and family time and doesn\u2019t feel like a day of rest?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m busy.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d argue these are legitimate, good things which do<\/em> need my attention. But is it OK that I\u2019m so preoccupied with my own life that I don\u2019t take time to know what\u2019s going on in the world and stop to pray about it?<\/p>\n Only a couple days after I bought my house, things were breaking faster than we could fix them. My dad helped me replace locks, but then the next day the latch wouldn\u2019t catch. A newly installed set of blinds broke the first time I tried to open them.<\/p>\n Making decisions is hard. It\u2019s a reminder that I\u2019m single because all the house decisions and responsibility are ultimately up to me, which is overwhelming.<\/p>\n I\u2019m exhausted, so my emotions are running wild. I start thinking friends don\u2019t care if they haven’t offered to help. I\u2019m always there for them! Why haven’t they offered to help?<\/em><\/p>\n But am I really always there for them? Sure, sometimes. But when I get busy, when I\u2019m struggling with something hard, I forget that everyone else is dealing with something too.<\/p>\n My dad\u2019s truck is in the shop, and it\u2019s essential for his job. My sister\u2019s kids are sick, and she\u2019s pregnant. A friend is struggling with his work. Another friend showed up at the airport for her international flight, only to find the travel agency somehow didn\u2019t actually get her a ticket. A drive-thru coffee stand my friend works at was robbed while she was working. A relative lost a custody battle for his daughter, so now he\u2019ll see very little of her.<\/p>\n Everyone\u2019s dealing with something. Maybe it\u2019s small, maybe it\u2019s big, but just about all of us have something going on in our lives that has us feeling anxious.<\/p>\n And then there are devastating tragedies, like a school shooting. Seventeen children died.<\/p>\n I\u2019m reminded that my life really isn\u2019t that hard. I\u2019m reminded that I\u2019m a little too wrapped up in myself and my little problems.<\/p>\n By no means do I have this figured out. But here are three things I\u2019ve been reminding myself this morning.<\/p>\n 1. Remember that suffering and trials are to be expected.<\/strong><\/p>\n God doesn\u2019t promise us an \u201ceverything\u2019s butterflies and rainbows\u201d life. There will be hard stuff in this life. This world is fallen, so daily work has its frustrations. And sometimes evil shows up in incredibly sad tragedies resulting in the deaths of children. But even in the midst of all the hard things, God is there and He\u2019s sovereign. My pastor talks about how suffering makes us depend on God and yearn for eternity. He said, \u201cGod loves us too much to leave us content with this world.\u201d So expect suffering; let it point you to Christ. And pray, \u201cCome, Lord Jesus, come.\u201d<\/p>\n 2. Remember all the blessings God has given you, both in this life and the life to come.<\/strong><\/p>\n Most of the things I\u2019m currently stressed about are really blessings. Having a house is a blessing. And I have the ultimate blessing of being a loved child of God. So look at your life and look for what blessings God has given you. Do you have a job? Family? Friends? If the hard things and sufferings are so consuming that it\u2019s hard to see the blessings, then remember this: No matter what hard things your life holds, none of them compare to eternity in heaven.<\/p>\n 3. Remember others.<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s no specific, daily plan I can give you about how to love your neighbor and perfectly balance your life between work, church, family, friends (if there is one out there, someone share it, please!?). Everyone\u2019s life is different, and I do think God places us in different seasons \u2014 sometimes we will have ample time to minister to others and sometimes we\u2019re the ones who will be ministered to. But no matter what my situation, I never want to be so preoccupied that I\u2019m unaware of my friends\u2019 struggles and the tragedies in the world. And if we\u2019re too busy to even pray for those affected by a school shooting? Well, that\u2019s not OK.<\/p>\n Today I\u2019m reminding myself that as stressful as my life might currently feel, my problems really are small and insignificant, and my blessings far outweigh any suffering. Yes, I\u2019m single, and I wish I wasn\u2019t. Yes, I wish the new house didn\u2019t require nearly this much work. But I have family, friends and a heavenly Father who love me.<\/p>\n Today I\u2019m reminding myself to think about others and see their struggles.<\/p>\n And today I\u2019m praying for those affected by the shooting in Florida. I can\u2019t imagine your pain.<\/p>\n Copyright 2018 Abby DeBenedittis. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Is it OK that I\u2019m so preoccupied with my own life that I don\u2019t take time to know what\u2019s going on in the world and stop to pray about it?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":18466,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categories":[17,6,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13682","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-life-with-others","category-relationships"],"yoast_head":"\nBut my life is<\/em> stressful!<\/h4>\n
When I pause to look around \u2026<\/h4>\n
So what do we do?<\/h4>\n