Summer of Thankfulness: I Don’t Know

I honestly have no idea what I want to write about…

Okay, that is kind of a lie because after writing that I know exactly what I want to write about. Today I am thankful for times where I do not understand. Here’s why (yes its another list, sorry if you do not like these, but not really, I’ll add color to the text if that will make you feel better, which it probably won’t):

1. Times when you do not understand allow for growth. They provide the opportunity to learn more about yourself or life while you are trying to understand whatever circumstances or problems surround you. Then, once you overcome the time of confusion, you come out the other side being a better and/or stronger person.
2. Times when you do not understand allow for revelation. In times of confusion and misunderstanding, you learn who your true friends are because they will be the ones to step up and help. Also, you learn just how strong or smart you already were as you are patiently waiting for this season of life to pass by. Finally, you learn how great of a support system you have in your family and the people that you are around as they life you up and help you during this time.
3. Times when you do not understand normally come before something big. Normally, right before a big event, or a drastic life change, is when this time of not understanding happens. You question why you are about to do something, or even if you should or are going to be able to do that something. Therefore, know that at the end of this period of life, something big is probably going to happen, so the confusion is worth it.
4. Last, but definitely not least, times when you do not understand force you to rely on God. When you do not understand why something is happening or what is going to happen next, you are forced to trust that God has it under control. He knows way more than us, and He is in control of everything, so when you do not know, it is just further proof that you need to find your peace and understanding in the One who knows it all.

Okay, that was only four points, so not that bad, and the colors helped, right? All of this to say that next time you do not understand, be thankful that there is One who does understand, and that this times of confusion can be beneficial if you just look at what can come after.

Thnx time when I do not understand 4 makin me better.

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Summer of Thankfulness (I found out how to do a horizontal line, does it look nice or no?)

 

Summer of Thankfulness: Disappointment

This is gonna get kinda real…well, until I get uncomfortable and my sarcasm kicks in.

So, everyone deals with disappointment. That may be disappointment in themselves, disappointment in other people, or disappointment with certain circumstances. Whatever it is, disappointment is inevitable because we live in a flawed world and nothing and nobody is perfect (sorry if this is your first reality check). Because of this, I experience disappointment all the time, and it has been a little more frequent this summer. Before anyone freaks out and says, “Hayden, don’t be sad, cheer up, everything will get better,” I am not talking about heart-breaking disappointment that sends me into a spiral of sadness. The disappointment I am talking about is more like, “Dang, I wish that had not happened, but ohh well, what are you gonna do about it…” I hope that makes sense. What I am basically saying is that the disappointment I am dealing with and discussing in this blog is circumstances that cause you to be a little upset but are easy to overcome and are not devastating enough to cause a person to lay in bed for a week eating ice cream. There is a difference between being disappointed and being sad, at least in my book.

Okay, let’s go ahead and get on with this, I can only try to horribly explain a thought for so long. So, as I was saying, I have felt a little disappointed in many people in my life this summer. The other day I thought to myself, “Man, I have high standards for the people in my life.” And that is true, probably because I have high standards for myself too and I expect other people to have those standards as well. I quickly find out that not every one else has the same standards though, who would have thought that not everyone thinks the same way as me. However, instead of letting this disappointment get to me, I have decided to be thankful for it, and I think everyone else should do the same.

I know this might be hard to do because no one likes when things do not go their way and when things are not perfect, but think about it. If instead of dwelling on the disappointment and thinking about how much it sucked, what if we were glad when things were not perfect because we learn from situations that do not go on our way. Normally, when everything goes the way we think it will, we learn nothing, but when something messes up, we have to figure out the problem and then fix it. That is when we learn new things and grow. Therefore, when you are disappointed, think about it as a chance to learn something new about yourself or about the people around you and find a way to grow so that you are not disappointed by that situation anymore. For example, all the disappointment I have experienced with the people around me has caused me to learn that not everyone thinks that same way as me or has the high standards that I set, which is fine. We are all different, and even if I think that they messed up I just have to realize that we are human and we all make mistakes and I should continue to love them even through their mistakes. All this disappointment has made me more appreciative for the people in my life who I do not get disappointed by and it has also helped me gain a little more patience with people who can get under my skin. I have grow through the undesirable circumstances, and I believe that everyone else has the ability to do that too, so we should take the opportunity to use the disappointment for our own advantage. Just imagine how much better the world would be if we all were grateful even when things did not go our way. That’s it.

Thnx disappointment 4 motivatin me 2 b better.

Summer of Thankfulness