Living in Joy; Eternal Optimism

"When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul." Psalm 94:19

"A person's steps are made secure by the Lord when they delight in his way. Though they trip up, they won't be thrown down because the Lord holds their hand." Psalm 37:23-24

Have you ever thought that bad things always happen to you? Do you feel like everyone around you seems to be progressing while you feel as if you are in a pile of quicksand. The harder you try to dig yourself out, the more stuck you become. I recently had a friend say to me, "If it wasn't for bad luck, I would have no luck at all. If something bad is going to happen, it's going to happen to me or my family." His words stuck with me. I feel bad that he feels that way. There is so much good around him, and he chooses to focus on the negative and does not notice all the miracles that occur around each of us every day. Life is a series of thousands of tiny miracles. You need to take the time to notice them.

Everyone has bad things happen to them within their lifetime. It is how you choose to perceive these and manage them that makes the difference. You can choose to dwell on the bad situations and let them harden you. You can cast doubt within your heart and let negative situations define you. You can determine that life is a series of negative situations and accept nothing more. By doing any of these, you are subjecting yourself to be a prisoner of your own mind. You are choosing to forgo joy and focusing on sadness. You are giving up seeing the beauty that exist in the littlest of things.

I remember talking with my mom about finding joy amid sadness. She told me a story about how back in the early 80's her and my dad were struggling to keep the family farm afloat. Farming was at it's all time low and it seemed that a foreclosure was far too real. She told me she was on her way to town to sign some loan papers and she was at an all-time low. She told me she prayed to God. She told me she asked God to help her see what is good so she could stop focusing on the negativity that seemed to be overtaking her. She said she immediately started to thank God out loud for everything she felt was worth thanking him for. She started by thanking him for the beautiful sunshine and the green grass. She began to point to things on her drive that she felt were beautiful and thanked God for them. She told me that suddenly her heart didn't feel so heavy, and she began to look at life differently. Eventually my dad made the choice to rent the farmland out and to begin working outside the home. He did this to save the family farm. It worked. The farm was not foreclosed on and remains within the family today.

I look back on things that have happened in our lives over the years. Easily these things could have broken us. We had preemie babies that were in the NICU. We had to leave them in the care of the doctors and nurses and travel hundreds of miles from home to return to work. We chose to focus on what was right in front of us. We maintained a routine. We focused on the positive and never dwelled on negative situations. Even when staff in Minneapolis felt we had no choice but to move to the cities or face not taking our daughter home to North Dakota; we told them we would find a way. Despite the pessimism of the hospital staff, we found a way to bring our baby home. We put a plea out to our hometown community, and we got responses back and we were able to bring our baby home to North Dakota. When doctors told us that Kalli would not have much of a voice, if any at all, we told the doctors we believed otherwise. Now we tell her to talk quieter all the time. Ironic since the doctors didn't feel she'd have much more than a whisper for a voice. When doctors told us to baptize Bailee after she was born because they didn't feel she had much of a chance at life; we told them we felt otherwise. That night as the family gathered around Bailee for her baptism; she promptly kicked her leg up knocking off the plastic cover that was over her on the open table incubator. She herself was telling the world she was alive, and she hasn't stop making her mark since. When we were told Justine had child onset Multiple Sclerosis. We told the doctors we would take it a day at a time. We have done what we can never dwelling on what "could be." Instead, we plug forward. We cannot change the diagnosis, but Justine can live the life she chooses to live. She lives as if every day is a miracle. She does not dwell on the "what ifs."

With all the above and the Christmas season upon us, I challenge you to change your mindset. If you tend to be a pessimist, try to focus on the good in your life and all around you. You can choose to dwell on past mistakes, bad situations, and resentments. Or you can choose to forgive yourself and others. You can choose to let go of negativity. You can choose to focus on the tiny miracles that around each one of us. You have all the power. No one else has the power to change your mindset except you. I choose to live with joy. I choose to live a life as optimistic as I can. I choose to see the good in situations and in people. I choose forgiveness. I hope you too will choose the latter.

I also want to give a quick update on the happenings around the Finch household. Justine was due to have a baby on December 14th. Well Gunnar John didn't want to wait and was born three weeks early on November 22, 2022. He is perfect and much welcomed addition to the family. He weighed 6 lb. 5 oz and was 20 1/2" long. Paislee is adjusting, but already trying to let him know that she was here first, and she is in charge. He is already almost two pounds over his birth weight so Paislee better watch out because he will catch up to her in no time! We have already had both kids overnight and it went great. This past weekend we were able to celebrate an early Christmas with the Walter clan. Their visit was short, but we packed in a lot of food, games, laughs, visits, and even more food. It was a great time and so fun to catch up with everyone. As everyone's family's grow, these visits are fewer and further between so when we do get together, I relish every moment. I probably won't do another entry until after Christmas. We want to wish each one of you a very Merry Christmas! We hope that you feel Jesus with you during this season and always. God bless each one of you!