I have to admit when I saw this link up party tears came to my eyes, because it is the reason I blog. I want to encourage others through my sheer love for life, through relating to my struggles, and through my open vulnerability. So, I sat down and prayed about what to write about and really focused on what I thought I needed to share.
Here is what I came up with :)
Everything we do has purpose and our big picture is small.
My twin brother taught me a very valuable life lesson about why things happen to us, and I want to share it with all of you.
He was a member of a successful band that toured and played and felt like they could make a career out of it. While they toured they had children for sponsor at their merchandise table through Compassion Internaional. The band broke up in an epicly disastrous way. To spare you the details, it tore apart their friendships and money was placed over people.
When I asked him why he thought it happened and how he was doing with comprehending his year devoted to this, he said that as he tried to understand it all he realized that if even one child got sponsored through this band, that would not otherwise have been taken care of through the organization, it was all worth it. One year of his life was worth one child surviving.
How often do we feel like God gave us the short end of the stick because something did not go our way? How many times could we take this perspective on what we have been handed?
I try to approach life this way. I was not given less than others, and God is using my life to effect others. I may never see the fruits of this, and it may not be as clear as Christian's situation was, but it is amazing how lives and finances can intertwine to reveal an amazing framework of Christ's plan.
Every decision we make matters, and when something negatively effects us it is not necessarily a bad situation. Sometimes one man's junk is another man's treasure. We really do need to remember that. God is not punishing us if something does not go according to our plan; He sees all and knows all and we have to trust His plan is better than ours.
Sometimes it gets overwhelming to think every decision we make effects others, but your scowl in the grocery store versus a smile makes a difference. I want to encourage you to remember that your attitude and life can be used a positive impact on people you may never meet. Do not forget you are valuable to change those around you whether intermingled into your life story or not.
Brush off that negative "woe is me" attitude and take on the challenge of a consistent smile!
You are alive and well.
Be encouraged.

I love {We Encourage} Tuesdays, too! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!
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