Do you ever feel bogged down with all the details of life? I do! Have you had any minutiae meltdowns lately? I feel your pain! For me, it’s usually not some “big thing” that causes chaos. It’s all of those little things I know I have to take care of, or deal with, or solve, or cope with, but I really don’t want to. I didn’t choose this. I didn’t ask for this. “It’s not fair!”
And what about all those times that you nearly have something completed and the universe will soon be perfectly aligned, but then like a child’s kaleidoscope, it suddenly revolves into an entirely new set of problems to deal with! “Seriously?” It could be the dishes and laundry piling up, a last-minute carpool rearrangement, an incorrect insurance bill that will require a phone call and long hold time, the bathtub faucet that has been dripping for two weeks requiring being taken apart and attempted to repair before calling a plumber, the meal planning and grocery shopping, the project deadline your boss gave you that’s ticking away and has been repeatedly delayed, the dog getting an ear infection, the kids getting the flu, the car getting a sudden flat tire as you are driving to the auto shop to get a new set of tires, the nagging thought that you really need to make time for that annual mammogram (oh, fun), your cat barfing up a giant hairball and the microwave shorting out immediately before guests arrive. . . OK. Let’s face it, some days just getting out of bed should be counted as our great victory! Couldn’t that suffice? We could crawl back under the covers and just start over tomorrow? But of course, we know that’s barely scratching the surface of a typical day. Instead, for at least the next 12-16 hours, we will carry our “to do” lists filled with work, tasks, projects and goals to try to accomplish before collapsing back into bed in the evening. Only to start all over again a few hours later.
In addition to our formal agendas, we also carry another list. It’s our private, personal scroll filled with our hopes, our dreams, our worries, our fears, our disappointments, our joys, and all of our complex emotions attached to each day. How secure is my employment? Will I be able to afford the things I need? Which things must wait or be left undone? How can I help this child with his struggle? How can I comfort that child with a recent disappointment? Why does someone I love have to suffer with [insert hardship here]? How should I express my sympathy to a neighbor? What can I say to motivate my coworkers? [What will I do if I don’t meet that deadline?] When, if ever, will the deepest desire of my heart come true? How long must I worry about [fill-in-the-blank]? How long will I carry this inner burden? Can I really keep going? . . .
“In the quiet heart is hidden, sorrows that the eye can’t see” – Hymn 220
Truly, living is not for the faint of heart!
And yet, being able to live is our great gift.
As a fitness blogger recently wrote:
“Life is good. You woke up today, right? Good. Now build on that!” – Steve Kamb
I love that! What a simple but profound reminder.
It’s easy for us to become so buried in the lists of our lives, we actually forget we are alive! In the October 2012 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, prophet and President Thomas S. Monson offered these words of hope and reassurance:
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Life is not meant to be one long chore [even though, sometimes it is].
There really is more meaning!
We don’t have to do all the tasks, carry all the burdens, and make everything be “OK”!
Because we aren’t in this alone. We have been given a heavenly helper. Our very own divine “Personal Assistant”, if you will. We might not see Him, but we may feel His presence.
He is always there, standing beside us. Encouraging. Protecting. Guiding. How do I know?
He promised.
“For Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” – Matt. 28:20
Take a quiet moment to pause, and ponder.
Can you see evidence of His presence? Have you felt or experienced things you cannot explain? Did something that seemed quite hopeless at the time turn out OK – possibly even to your advantage? Despite the many inconvenient frustrations and setbacks, have things kept working out in the end?
How has the Lord been in the details of your life?
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video created by yoehoehne
Latter-day Soprano 