"Many hands make light work."
"A penny saved is a penny earned."
"Inch by inch it's a cinch, yard by yard it's hard."
"Make hay while the sun shines."
"Pride comes before a fall."
"First of May, put the flannels away."
"Don't count your chickens before they're hatched."
"Slow and steady wins the race."
"Don't count your chickens before they're hatched."
"Slow and steady wins the race."
"A cold, wet May makes a barn full of hay."
Then I come to the phrase, "Blood is thicker than water", and I feel my heels screech to a halt. Really? Because all of the phrases above I have seen the truth in, but the "Blood is thicker than water" phrase hasn't been true as often in my life experiences. I want it to be true, but it just isn't for me.
I really feel that one of the MANY things that I have learned in this hard season of my life is that God puts people in your life that you need. Families are often disfunctional, some more than others, but even the Bible chronicles stories of family disfunction. The book of Genesis tells the stories of Cain and Abel, Esau and Jacob, and Joseph and his brothers. All of these stories are stories of families who had fights and estrangements. Sometimes there was restoration, but sometimes not. God obviously knows that families can be difficult.
My extended family situation is certainly not what I want it to be. However, there is only so much I can do. I can love, I can forgive, but only God can change hearts. I am only half of the relationship. I cannot make a relationship work on my own.
I am not good at trusting people, because of the hurt that I have experienced in my life from members of my extended family. But, little by little, God has put some wonderful people in my life. People I trust, people I can count on, people that care. These past weeks have shown me who really cares and have helped me to see that people actually do see me. The cards are still streaming in. Friends text and send messages and emails to ask me if I'm doing okay or just to let me know that they are thinking of me. I know that I have been blessed with incredible friends - much beyond what I could have ever imagined.
I know that I have a few close extended family members that I really trust and love. Being the dreamer that I can be at times, I always dreamed of having that big, extended family that could get together on holidays and birthdays and laugh and enjoy each other. I have come to realize that it doesn't matter if my extended family is big or not. What matters is that I can trust completely the few members that are close to me. It is truly a situation where I must choose how I'm going to look at it, ignoring what others may say. Some have never had to experience a family where relationships are badly broken, and that is a blessing for them. But for me, and others who have had the experience of broken relationships, there is a choice. For me, I choose joy. I am joyful for the people that are close to me. Joyful for the many friends that I have. Joyful for the husband and children that are now my immediate family that I can cherish and love. Where there is a hole, God will fill it - if I let Him.
If the proverb says that blood is truly supposed to be thicker than water, I'm guessing we must have some really good water where I live! I think I'll stick to the real proverb from Proverbs 18:24, "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother."
I am not good at trusting people, because of the hurt that I have experienced in my life from members of my extended family. But, little by little, God has put some wonderful people in my life. People I trust, people I can count on, people that care. These past weeks have shown me who really cares and have helped me to see that people actually do see me. The cards are still streaming in. Friends text and send messages and emails to ask me if I'm doing okay or just to let me know that they are thinking of me. I know that I have been blessed with incredible friends - much beyond what I could have ever imagined.
I know that I have a few close extended family members that I really trust and love. Being the dreamer that I can be at times, I always dreamed of having that big, extended family that could get together on holidays and birthdays and laugh and enjoy each other. I have come to realize that it doesn't matter if my extended family is big or not. What matters is that I can trust completely the few members that are close to me. It is truly a situation where I must choose how I'm going to look at it, ignoring what others may say. Some have never had to experience a family where relationships are badly broken, and that is a blessing for them. But for me, and others who have had the experience of broken relationships, there is a choice. For me, I choose joy. I am joyful for the people that are close to me. Joyful for the many friends that I have. Joyful for the husband and children that are now my immediate family that I can cherish and love. Where there is a hole, God will fill it - if I let Him.
If the proverb says that blood is truly supposed to be thicker than water, I'm guessing we must have some really good water where I live! I think I'll stick to the real proverb from Proverbs 18:24, "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother."
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