steadfast, but not on my own

The other day I blogged about the pointlessness & negativity surrounding the act of complaining. Should it come as any surprise that I've been greatly tested in that very area of life since posting that? (See what I wrote here in case you missed it). Honestly, it almost caught me off guard when the frustrations started being dealt out... but I was immediately reminded of the very lesson I took to heart, and my own words came right back at me. This was a test to see whether or not there was any weight behind what I claimed & spoke out against.

I'll provide a couple examples of what I'm referring to, but not for the purpose of dwelling on the negative... rather to show how I can't hang tough on my own. I owe it all to God for keeping me in-check, focused, optimistic, and clear-headed. Also, after each I'll point out why I have no reason or right to complain about any of this.

- negative - My birthday is this weekend, as well as my 6th month anniversary with Abby (a double-whammy, if you will). The plan was for her to come here to Lynchburg so we could celebrate both together. The oncoming round 2 of winter weather has decided otherwise.

-positive- We're both going to a conference next weekend on life after school, whether in the workforce or in full-time ministry, AND the weekend will culminate with Valentine's Day. It all works out in the end, with another double-whammy of excellence to make up for this weekend!

- negative - My car decided it wasn't going to start this afternoon, after several attempts to crank it and get it going.

-positive- I waited it out, tried again after lunch, and the car started. Just to play it safe, myself & 2 friends trekked to an Advance Auto 20 minutes away to get the battery & alternator tested. Both checked out fine and I had no problems driving to-and-from this excursion. I just need to allow myself more time to let the car warm up before rushing off anywhere.

- negative - my GPS lied to me and instead of leading me to the first Advance Auto I looked up, it took me to.... a snowy field

-positive- the 2nd Advance Auto I navigated to was only 10 min away... and we made it there fine. Simple as that.

So yes, as you can see.... no legitimate reasons to complain. Sure, it's been tough and a rather up-&-down couple of days... but all is well in the end. God is good, and I'm extremely thankful for the opportunity to give it all up to Him and let the overall good come out of all these situations.... whether immediately or in the long-run.

Oh, and if you catch me complaining, online or in-person... just tell me to shut-face and remind me of everything I've talked about and been reminded of this week so far.