Just me

As humans, we have a tendency to make assumptions and jump to conclusions.  Very rarely are we good at looking beyond first impressions or trying to walk in others' shoes.  We all can think of times where we were personally hurt by being on the receiving end of this, but I know that I do not always notice when I am doing my own snap judgments.
Where am I going with this?
It is way too easy to look at someone's facebook posts and think that you know what is going on in their lives.  But in my case (I don't claim to speak for anyone but myself here), I use facebook to help me refocus on the thankfuls, trying to be encouraging and uplifting, or asking for prayer support.  I don't put my hard times out there for anybody and everybody to see.  I have various levels of friends...and various levels of how much I share with the people around me.  And I have a desperate need to dwell on the positives instead of the negatives.  So if you judged me purely on my status updates, it would be easy to jump to the conclusion that nothing hard must ever happen to her, because its not shared.
Reality...that is not possible.  Every one on the face of the planet has struggles, times of doubt, trying situations, and downpours that threaten to wipe them of their feet.  I am no exception.
A peek into my life this week would reveal a woman who spent four hours in the ER on Sunday, the last 14 days in her house trying to get her health back, is dealing with insecurities, whose concussion seems to have knocked a screw loose, who is worried that she won't be able to handle this last class, who has had to rearrange all of her expectations for graduation and give up on the idea of throwing herself a senior prom, and who is finally cleared from the concussion to drive but whose car has to go in the shop for some extensive repair.  There's your peek. 
All that to say this...over the last three years God has been doing a mighty work in me.  I don't view life the same.  I am not the same person.  Over and over and over He has given me a myriad of opportunities to learn to trust Him, leave everything in His hands, have hope despite the hard knocks of life, to focus on the blessing among the pain, and to know that I know that I know that He is in control and can make beauty out of ashes.  I daily (sometimes minute-by-minute) CHOOSE to dwell on my blessings and give Him the time to work things out.  I struggle.  It's not easy.  I don't have a clue how some of this can work out or what life will look like tomorrow...but I know that He is there for me and will NEVER leave me.  He will not give up on me or leave me stuck in all of this.  The hard things in life are temporary and pale in the light of eternity.
Obedience to God has been one of my biggest struggles and biggest blessings at the exact same time.  And He honors every time we make the effort to follow Him in obedience.  It is always, always worth it.  And His timing is so much different then mine.
So, no...I am not perfect, and my life is not easy.  I am dealing with really trying times, just like everyone else.  But I am determined to be the one in control of my reactions and to focus more on what He is doing and the blessings He has all around me.  And I don't want to do a single thing to make someone else's life harder or to bring them down.  I want to use my life to be an encouragement to those around me and a testament of what God is doing in and around me.  I choose to be happy in Him, rest in Him, and leave it all in His hands...which allows me to live in His peace that passes all understanding.
That's just who I am and who He is helping me to be.