c'est le vie

Awhile back my dad reminded me that to ask why bad things happen to us is a ridiculous question. In fact, we should be surprised when tough things aren't going on in our lives. He essentially said that we live in a fallen world and we can't expect it to be like heaven. Instead, life is a series of challenges that prepare us for heaven. I think that's an important thing to remember. It's like when it's miserably hot outside and you can't stop wishing it were winter. With that perspective, the heat will seem even worse than it really is and you'll remain miserable. But if you just accept the fact it's summer and that it's going to be hot for a few more months, it's a lot more bearable. So, Jenny had another miscarriage, which brings our 8-month total to 3, including one discovery and removal of a benign tumor. Yeah, it feels horrible and I don't ever want to feel this way again. At the same time, I realize I will. Pets will get run over, friends will move away, I'll witness loved ones battle serious illness, I may battle serious illness, stuff will get stolen, parents will die. That's the nature of life on earth. Through it all, though, there's one constant: "The relation of the soul to God is a higher, unique relationship which nothing can sever and which nothing can threaten or shake (...) If we wish to follow Him, then this life, too, with Christ, is joy, even amid difficulties. As Saint Paul says, 'I rejoice in my sufferings.' This is our religion, and that's the direction we must move in." That quote is from a book by Porphyrios (a Christian monk) we've been reading at Sunday night mens group, and I know it's true even though my emotions don't always agree.