Course Correction: A Great Opportunity to Grow

From about July 2016 toward the end of 2017, I experienced the most stress and constant drama in my life that I ever had.  A hard pregnancy, both cars dying, a newborn with potential breathing and heart problems in the hospital for 5 days, medical bills, our house getting struck by lightning, having to put our dog down, vet bills, and a healthy dose of PTSD to go along with it to name a few of the things we faced that period of time.  I love telling the story to those who don't know it because it really was just too much to handle, but we did it.  We survived it and gained a whole lot of invaluable things in the process.  Right now our country is in the middle of a really rough patch.  Every person I know seems to have their own pandemic saga.  Lost jobs and money trouble, health problems, great loss of loved ones, twilight zone living that none of us ever imagined, and every week it's something new.  Everything is getting politicized, no one is immune and even the happiest of events are getting shoved around.  It all seems too much to bear.  And yet here we are.

There is a lot of surmising about where we are headed as a country and even as far as God's allowance for time to continue.  I don't suppose to know any big answers there, but I did run across something that resonated with me and our current dilemmas.  We seem to be experiencing a really significant course correction of massive proportions.  When boats veer off course and then attempt to quickly move back, it can be rough sailing for a while.  Politics aside, our families and social dynamics have been out of control for a while.  You know it. I know it.  The hectic pace, the cancel culture, the entitled kids, the bullying, the struggle it is to achieve and maintain a healthy marriage, the ridiculous expectations we have because of social media lies, and the constant distraction from what's actually, truly important - We are a mess.  Even if you feel confident in all of your positions and opinions, like most people do, we are still a mess.  Whatever else God has planned for us in all this, I'm growing convicted that He is providing each of us an opportunity to course correct.  Many of us are spending more time at home.  That means more time spent in our relationships.  That means time and space to sort our mess out.  

Mr. Butler has been working from home since the beginning of April.  Because of that single fact, our parenting has improved, our marriage has improved, our spiritual lives are more active, and we are more physically active together.  To put it simply, we have grown together so much during this time.  I hate the cause of this change, but in regards to the health of my family and relationships, the fruit is priceless.

As we continue to feel around in the dark of this modern mess we find ourselves in, I just want to encourage you to embrace the course correction.  I know you're tired of listening to the mob's distractions and lies.  I know there is evil seeming to have its way in the world right now.  But despite all the pain, God is faithful and can use it for good if we are willing. Let the things that have made you the most uncomfortable in all of this teach you where you need to grow and let's do it!