stop asking "why me?"...

stop asking, "why me?" Have you ever thrown yourself a big pity party? You don't invite any human guests this party is meant strictly so you can wallow in all the "why me" scenarios in your life and put yourself in a complete funk about how miserable everything is.


As positive as I try to be about the circumstances and situations in my life, from time to time I throw an excellent "pity party." And, if you're like me, it's tough to break that mood once you've let it sink in. You're lucky if it only lasts an hour or two, but more likely than not you let it last all day. Sometimes the main attendees are your missed chances in life and you wonder what things would be like if you had chosen a different path. Sometimes your guests of honor are valid inequalities or unfairness in your current circumstances. You are justified in feeling that things aren't equal in your partnership, or that you put forth more effort than others but don't receive the same benefits. You are certain that you are surpassing your end of the bargain and you're tired. You want the recognition. You want a more equal distribution of responsibilities. And you want more frequent and better rewards for all your efforts. You're tired. You're tired. Key point - you're tired. If you're like me, during these times, what I fail to realize is that I have no idea of what a different path would be like and there's no guarantee that it would actually have been better. I forget that when I'm not in my "why me" mood, that I am generally very satisfied and quite happy with my life. When I'm in the right frame of mind, I count my blessings (which are many) daily. On my good days, I remember that God put me front row and center in the life of my specific family because they need me and He gave me gifts to share with them. I remember that God has blessed me with certain talents and abilities so that I can be a blessing to others (and guess what, He gave my family and friends wonderful attributes to bless me as well). I need to remember that God has made them, at this point, dependent on me so that I can give, care and love them just as He loves and cares for me. He has trusted me with these people, these relationships and responsibilities for a reason! God trusts me! He needs me to do this job for Him and His purposes. Wow - He trusts me! The responsibilities I have aren't a burden, but actually an honor. When you are responsible with the charges God lays at your feet, He gives you more. So if He trusts me and knows how to strengthen me when I need it, I will make it past my "pity party" and be able to continue His work. Sometimes I'm tired and it's o.k. to cut myself some slack and remember that I'm not perfect. So maybe the next time the "pity party" mood surfaces, I'll remember that God trusts me and I'll make it through.

So for today, I will stop asking "why me?" I will focus more intensely on the heart of Jesus. He came to serve without thought of personal reward. I want to be a blessing to others and I'm glad that I can be. So, "why me" step aside! Instead I will start saying, "Thank God it's me!" My family, friends, and parents can depend on me. And I will pray for God to continue to bless me with the strength, endurance, spirit and patience to continue His work. When I'm tired, I will allow myself that moment of downtime but I won't wallow - no pity party today - then I will re-energize and I will repeat to myself, "Thank God it's me."