Realist.

I like to think of myself as a realist. My husband calls me a pessimist. We are basically the same as my parents in this aspect which I love. My dad is the eternal optimist. Seriously. Which is why he is the best pastor. He always sees the glass as full. Andrew always sees the glass as (at least) half full, sometimes completely full. The fact that he was so similar to my dad in this regard is one of the things that immediately attracted me to him.

I am a lot like my dad in a lot of ways, but so like my mom in this category of being a realist, as I like to call it. My mom, although not a categorical optimist, is one of the most thoughtful and encouraging people on the planet. She sends out birthday cards to every. single. person. in our church. She sends sympathy cards to people she hasn't seen in years. She sends notes of encouragement to ladies who are hurting. She sends thank-you notes for every gift she receives, big or small. She has modeled before me what it means to trust God's plan, even though it doesn't make sense. I appreciate these things I've learned from my mom.

So I am not a dreamer and I don't always focus on the silver lining. But, the reality of the situation is, God is good. I have a hard time focusing on this truth. I tend to ask the questions, "why me?" "why us?" "why not us?" when it appears as though God's favor is being poured out lavishly on others while we sit here searching desperately for a job and direction for Andrew. I get discouraged. A lot. But then I am reminded by the optimists in my life of God's goodness. The things that we have been blessed with are outrageous. We have parents who support us and love us in too many ways to list. We have a roof over our head. And cars to drive. And iPads. And iPhones. And more shoes than will fit in my closet. And on and on. And even though I have health problems that can be overwhelming at times, I'm not dying. I could choose to be pessimistic about why we are where we are. Or I can choose to be realistic about how blessed we are.

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. (Psalm 27:13, 14 KJV) I am choosing to claim these verses. Patience is not my favorite, but His Word is true, and I will wait.

If the Lord brings us to your mind, please pray this for us. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV)