- waiting
- saying "no" to good things
- getting well when ill
- loving as you should even when you don't feel like it
- picking gracious words when it would be so much easier to just say the same thing with total candor directly
- keeping at the day-to-day stuff when the goal seems so far away
- waiting
- telling someone "no" when you know that they really, really want a "yes" and you love them
- praying for a long, long time for something without seeing the answer - besides "wait"
- depending on others
- long periods of silence
- no Internet, no music, no techno gadgets, no phone
- no money
- no friends
- no family
Now, rather than get totally depressed by all the above, which we all experience from time to time, think of the converse:
- life moves at such a pace that we aren't simply "waiting" most of the time; rather, we are engaged in doing useful, productive, enjoyable kinds of things
- we get to exercise the discipline and discernment that allows us to say "no" to good things so that we can say "yes" to better things; imagine the plight of folks who can't see that and suffer the consequences
- if getting well when ill is an option, then, by all means, it's good and worthy to fight through the "hardness" of it
- the benefits of being loving far outweigh the consequences of not being so
- ditto with how you say what you say
- ditto with how you act and work day-to-day
- ditto with being truthful (with grace) even when it's difficult
- ah, the prayer one: prayer gives hope and a truer sense of dependence; so, it's definitely worth it to leave one's prayers, with repetition and persistence, before a sovereign God Who is the only one that can grant the answer
- depending on others - that's life! choose well who you depend on
- silence, in proper perspective, can be a great gift; use it well
- we all need a better perspective on gadgets, Internet, communication & entertainment tools -- if we're not quality people without them, then we're not quality people with them either. Most people in the world exist just fine without them.
- no money, no friends, no family - that's hard! STILL, if you're conscious enough to know that, then you have enough resources, by God's grace, to earn money, make friends by being friendly, and creating "family" through deepening quality relationships. We allow no quarter to despair and depression!
Hard things! Not so hard, really.
