Smile- It'll make them wonder

Some Monday's just have a way of knowing what day it is. It's like okay, good morning, happy Monday!! Now it's time to make you really see that it's Monday.. You're going to have a bad hair day, sleep through your alarm, get to work late, and get assigned lots of pointless and time-consuming projects in class.

Mine started off slightly similar, except I woke up early, curled my hair, and ate a decent breakfast all before 6:15. Seems like a decent morning, right? That's until I go out to my car that was calmly sitting on the curb. And by calmly I mean sounding like its about to explode at any minute because it's randomly revving and making some clunky noises. I put it in drive and make it not even two feet before it shuts off. So I get it to turn back on after a few attempts and pull it over far enough that I can leave it there and call my roommate who had been watching me from the window.  Like the sweet girl that she is she gives me her keys and I drive her car to the chiropractor on this bitterly freezing morning, only a tad bit cold because the heat doesn't exactly work in the car.. So by the time I finally make it to my 630 appointment at 645, my hands are a tad frozen and then whaddyaknow, I can't get the gear into park.

All I could think was oh my gosh, now I broke her car. So after a few more attempts I finally got it to park and went inside.

The receptionists are always joyful as ever and I'm always happy to see them. After telling them about my morning so far, both of their remarks were "What?! And you're still smiling right now? Anyone else would be having a panic attack right about now. That's so awesome!"

And that stuck with me all day. Particularly later as my car slowly made its way to the car shop, and as I sat for over 2 and a half hours waiting for it to be fixed, I went about it in the best way I could. I might have had white knuckles from gripping the steering wheel in fear of the car turning off on my way there and God probably had an earful of me saying "okay God, please just get me through this stop sign, this stop light, this intersection without it turning off." I can only imagine what I looked like as I was just talking to myself driving. Hey, it's a Monday and my car is bound to shut off at any second, let me be.

Anyways, I thought alot on their reaction today and  it made me think about how we all live our lives. Lately I've been trying to pay more attention to how much I complain. One of my friends said to me the other day that complaining isn't going to change anything, you just gotta deal with it. There's a lot of truth in that because as much as I try to be happy and encouraging to those around me, it is really easy to get caught up and start complaining without even realizing it. So that's changed my perspective on a lot of things and my interactions with others. (hence I've decided my goal for lent is to give up complaining!)

If you think about it, how much time do we spend a day complaining about things that happened? I know for me, I hear it more often than not. We take maybe a few minutes a day to talk about the blessings and happy moments on the day, but could dwell for hours on how terrible this or that was, reliving every little detail just to drag out how terrible it was. It's draining and it's such a negative and depressing way to look at life. Think of how much happier we could be if we focused on all of the blessings around us. So you're having car problems? Look at it as an opportunity to spend a few extra minutes as you drive to work with your roommate before the day gets started. So you had to stay extra at work? Maybe that was a huge help to your co-worker who needed to get the task done so he could spend time with his son on his 2nd birthday. You never know the indirect consequences your actions could have on those around you! This verse helps me to attempt to eliminate complaints and motivates me to be thankful in any situation.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 - In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

So no matter what you're going through, give thanks with a smile. It'll make them wonder how you're facing your obstacles with such a cheery attitude. Maybe that'll plant a seed that will blossom into you being the reason that someone realizes that difficulties can be faced with a smile because of the help, love and guidance of our Heavenly Father. Sure your day might seem like a joke today and like nothing is going right, but that's God's plan for you for a reason. Maybe He took you down that path so you can be an example to others that it's indeed possible to keep a happy heart even when times are tough and it seems like nothing is going right. Or maybe it's so you can be the light that someone else needs because they too might be having a bad day. Life is going to happen as God has planned, only you can choose how you will react. You can be bitter and discontent all day and ponder on everything that's gone wrong, or you can persevere and be the joy that you wish to see around you.

The next time you're having a rough day, or you get a bad test score, or just anything that is out of line with what you were hoping for, remember.. It's happening for a reason. Take it as it comes, and trust in God's plan. It might not make sense, you might not like it, but in the end, it will help you become a stronger person and mold you into the person you were created to be. God knows everything that has happened and that is going to happen, so when we are faced with anything, good or bad, we can trust that He will be there. He always has been, and He always will be, and that's something to be extra thankful for.

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