As look at posts from people who I once had connections with I realize how cruel this world really is. Either that, or these people are very good at hiding the truth from others around them. I find the latter to be very strange, though. I find it interesting that people will hide their true emotions and pain from those around them but once they get home they will expose their pain for all of the world to see on pages such as xanga, myspace, or facebook. Peculiar, isn't it? I understand that each person is confronted with their own trials. I understand that God does not test someone past their ability, but in all honesty I would kill for some of your trivial problems. I read sites that talk about not fitting in anywhere, or about how strict your parents are, or how tired you are of drama between people, or how depressed you are because of a relationship you're in. Let me tell you something...if those are your only problems, consider yourself blessed. Have you ever thought that you have these problems because of something that you are doing wrong and that it's not the fault of those around you? Your parents are strict probably because you are doing stupid things that you shouldn't be doing in the first place. Trust me, I have been there before. Be thankful that you have BOTH of your parents. I pity you if you wish that you didn't have both of them. I have realized how much we really take for granted the fact that God provides us with two parents who love and care for us. It seems to me that pages such as xanga are most commonly used now to complain and moan about how horrrible life is to you. Get over it. If you really cared about your life you wouldn't spend multiple hours on the computer sulking about it. I am so tired of hearing complaints about such trivial and minute problems. I say these things because for some reason God has chosen my family to be tested in other ways that your family is not being tested. We have no father. Do you know how much the holidays suck, not because we didn't get the...stuff that we wanted but because there is a huge part of us missing? God has chosen my family to be a family that is constantly in the doctor's office or the hospital. Carter has epilepsy. Chase currently has pneumonia. Courtney, Chase and I had to have EKGs because of heart murmurs. Everyone jokes about how much I'm in the hospital..but it's true. I ripped my finger off in the Summer and last night I was in the emergency room again because I had a deep cut in my wrist because there was a piece of jagged plastic under my bed that caught my wrist(how bizarre is that?). Do you know how scary it is to wonder what illness or injury your family is going to have next? Sometimes I am scared for my family to leave the house. I fear things like this every day. In my family, God's grace is evident. He has provided us with a house and takes care of our every need. Everyone goes through trials and everyone is tested. It is up to us to take these tests and look to the Lord for strength and encouragement. Take advantage of the the life, family, friends and blessings that God has given you. | 
