Now, is there room and times in our life for sadness and pain? OF COURSE. There is opposition in all things. We would not have the ability to experience JOY if we didn't know what sadness felt like. My little sister, Tami, said it best one Halloween night when she 5 years old, "All the times that I am well make me happ now that I am sick!"
Sadness is a part of our human experience. There are appropriate times for it. It is when we have more sad days than JOY filled days that we know we need to take a step back and examine our lives.
One of my favorite things that Carol Tuttle teaches is that we are CREATORS of our own lives. We are not victims. Think of when you have had a really bad day. What was your internal dialog? Could it have been, "Why is this happening to me?" or "What did I do to deserve this bad day?" Now, just think about this for a minute... what if the bad day was not happening TO you, but BECAUSE of you? That is a tough pill to swallow, isn't it. But could it be true?
We are creators of our own lives. What would happen if we stopped being victims? How would your life change if you stopped letting things happening TO you? Our loving Father in Heaven loves us and trusts us enough to pilot our own lives.
When I realize that I am having a bad day I do these 3 simple things,
#1-I stop. Usually bad days come with a lot of responsibility. Too much on my plate. So I literally stop moving.
#2- I acknowledge that I am creating this bad day. By the way I am talking, thinking or acting. I have to start blaming the right person for my day. I am not a victim. I am a creator.
#3- I pray! I pray for strength, patience and understanding. Then, I give my bad day to my Heavenly Father. I close my eyes, package my bad day in a little pink box (pink is my favorite color right now) and I hand it over. I give it up to my Savior.
Joy needs space. It won't force its way in. Create a space for joy. Realize that bad days will come, experience those feelings. So many of us try to stifle pain, or uncomfortable feelings. FEEL those feelings and them put them in a box and allow the joy back in. Let's stop magnifying the negative things that are in our lives.
When I was younger I use to think that people in general were either sad or happy. It was black or white. What's worse is I thought for a long time that I was a sad person and most everyone else was happy. Thankfully I realized that life was more like a rainbow with varying shades of colors. So when you wrote "sadness is a part of the human experience", I really appreciated that simple statement. I think there are other people who may think like I did and no one should have to live with that unrealistic way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteI also absolutely agree with and love when you said "We are creators of our own lives." Another simple yet powerful truth. We all participate in what unfolds in our lives. There is always a choice to make, no matter how small it may seem.
"Let's stop magnifying the negative things that are in our lives." I truly believe that is one of the most important ways of allowing space for joy in our lives. This post is amazing, Tausha! I love that you are putting this out into the world.