PROBLEM-FREE IS NOT WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT

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Whenever I hear these words from someone... anyone... something inside of me gets riled up by such a remark.....
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'Buti ka pa maganda ang tagbo ng buhay mo; alang problema. Ako isang katutak ang dinadala.' -- 'You're having a good life going for you -- no problems at all. I got tons on my shoulder.'
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Oh yes, before Mom knocked some sense into me I admit using those same crazy lines with my close friends who were seen enjoying their perceived share of life's good pie ...and eating it with gusto! I moaned.. bewailed.. anguished about my sorry lot as compared to theirs. Mom then would bonk me on the forehead and say...
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'Baliw! Sa tingin mo hindi sila dumaan sa mga pagsubok?' -- 'Silly! And you think they didn't go through their own struggles too?'
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She taught me what she knew about life... and I learned about it too firsthand when the time came that it was my turn to journey down the same road.
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Pardon me but I must be honest. It makes me seethe in anger albeit silently. Because I cannot truly understand why anyone should envy those who they perceive to be enjoying a good life or perceive to be problem-free. Problem-free is farthest from the truth.
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Allow me my thoughts.....
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I have learned that life is not a bed of roses... never... no matter who you are-where you are-what you are. Nothing is ever handed to you on a silver platter. Even to those who were born rich will come times when difficult decisions or choices will need to be made in hoping to define a desired future. Believe me, making such decisions will surely knock your brains out and weary your hearts.. unless if you're made of steel. But who amongst us is made of steel?!!
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Struggles, trials, tests, difficulties, challenges or whatever else people may call it are the regulars on life's menu list. But unlike in a food restaurant you can't get to pick your favorites. Life, the chef, disregards personal likes or dislikes or preferences. Instead it has set down an array of dishes which it believes you will need. So the bottom line is it's what you need and not what you want that you'll get. The objective which we now get to understand is seemingly your growth and development. This then, I believe, is the true leveler of men. We are all asked to grow. That, too, is by God's design.

LIFE ISN'T ALWAYS HAPPY 100% OF THE TIME

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I was thinking about this...............  'No one is happy and perky 100% of the time.' Quoted from the book 'Limitless' by Nick Vujicic. (I haven't finished the book yet.)

That's true. But we try to be. It's also true that what we are on the outside is also different from what we are on the inside. Here's to remember that everybody on earth is fighting some battle, without or within. People try to cope with that in so many different ways. Some would seek help from others, several would share their feelings to release tension, and a good number would silently fight their battles while keeping a cheerful exterior with a prayer in their heats.

I find myself in each of these categories depending on the battle at one time or another.

One thing I have learned....  it's okay to be 'all of the above', so to speak. Humanly natural and real. Life is a leveler, everybody gets his share of ups and downs. None exempted. We cope in ways that we know or are available to us. That is the rule.  All is good.

What becomes a problem is when we cower and grovel in the dark utterly overwhelmed and defeated by our challenges.  We then begin to lose control or grip on life happening to us. It's the feeling that the world is oblivious to our misery and God deaf to our prayers. I've seen it happening to friends and I myself have been there before.

When this happens we need to push ourselves hard and harder. The battle is no longer with the issues confronting us but the battle is with the self. I have read somewhere, to quote .. 'we are our worst enemies and our biggest battles'.

But we can also be our own heroes.

Step up to courage, determination, hope, and a faith which God can be so proud of as He watches us. Happily He will bless our efforts far more than our weary hearts can hold.  Joy will be restored in our hearts. So much to be happy about!
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Hope you're all enjoying this long weekend. I did with mine. Yesterday was a lovely dinner spent with family. Precious.

God bless you and yours!