Ups and Downs

On my way home from work tonight, I began to thank God for the ups and downs in life--the mountaintop experiences and yes, even for the valleys. Life is full of uPS and DOwns. For me, my weight goes up and then it comes down; gas prices are down, and then, they go up; we have good days and bad days...pretty much, that's life. The true test of our faith and maturity is how we handle these ups and downs.

If we can only be grateful for the good stuff and be bitter, angry and ungrateful about the downers, then we will not grow...and we will not be happy in life. I have learned that my deepest times of growth have come through the trials, the tests of my faith, the valleys. I'm truly grateful for these times as well. They also make me more grateful and content for the ups in life.

For example, I have pancreatitis. It is chronic and acute. When I am sick, I am very sick. It might take my life some day. But because of those hard, painful days, I am SO grateful for the good days, the pain-free days. I can honestly say that every single day that I feel good, I give thanks to Him. But, I gotta take better care of myself, I know.

There's also the reality that we are going to have bad days at work, at home caring for kids, at school...wherever we spend a lot of time. It's a fact. But I get so frustrated when people have the mentality that life is one big downer. They live for Fridays, hate Mondays, grumble at coworkers, etc... What a sad way to live. I know, you're screaming, "Easy for you to say, Susan! You're a missionary. You get to work with the greatest people on Earth!" Well, I have to agree with that. But I also deal with a lot of stress and some major disappointments. It's extra hard when a fellow Christian lets you down, etc... But I choose to make every day the best it can be--even with the ups and downs.

I certainly don't have this all figured out, but I think I'm a much more content person because I am learning that ups and downs are a reality. I'm going to rejoice in the ups and learn and grow from the downs. It's then a win-win situation.