That’s The Way Of Things

My Dad had three sayings that pretty well defined his philosophy of life. “That’s the way of things,” is one of his sayings. When life threw a curve, Dad would simply say, “That’s the way of things.”

I remember helping pack up flowers in the hospital room when Dad was being discharged after prostate cancer surgery. Dad was seated, dressed in pajamas and robe, watching. “I’m the luckiest man alive,” Dad said. I was stunned.

But that was Dad. When things were hard, he accepted that was just the way of things here on this earth. He had come through the surgery and had his family around him. And to him that was all that mattered.

Sometimes Life Gets In The Way

A week ago I had a thought I wanted to share with you on my blog. I even began writing the post two days ago, and thought I’d finish it to share before my hand surgery tomorrow. But life tends to get in the way of our plans.

Some bloggers are great at keeping to a schedule. Some write posts ahead of time and schedule when they will send. And then there’s me. But that’s the way of things. We’re not all the same, and I’m still a work in progress!

Tonight as I finished tasks I felt needed to be done while I had two hands available to do them, I realized my original post wasn’t going to be finished before my surgery. (Hopefully, I’ll share it another time.) At first I felt badly, but then I remembered Dad’s saying. And my heart settled. For now, this is just the way of things. And it will be okay.

Be Anxious For Nothing

God tells us in Philippians 4:6 to be anxious for nothing. I’m so grateful our Father means what He says and says what He means. He tells us to pray about everything, to trust Him and ask Him for wisdom, but he never tells us to be anxious or worried, no matter how complicated our days become.

I know many of us are going through tough times these days. The world itself seems to be in full-blown chaos. Loss is all around us. And many people are dealing with health issues of every kind. Even in this, our Father tells us to not be anxious.

Only because we know our Father is loving, good, and kind, and that He has a plan for a future for those who love Him, a future that is far and away more magnificent than we can imagine, only because of this can we keep from being anxious. We may weep, because life is often hard. But our Father weeps with us. He knows that’s the way of things here. But our hope and our future are with Him, and in that we find peace.

Blessings to you and yours as you navigate this summer (or winter if you’re in the other hemisphere.) Just remember, our God is good. He’s in charge and has a plan. His plan is good. And when things don’t go as we’d like, let’s remember – that’s the way of things here. But it will be okay. Our Father loves us, is with us, and He’s got us.

(Photos: Taken by Carolyn Thigpen in Grayson, GA, June, 2022.)