Getting By

Today I thought to myself, "How am I really doing?" The answer I gave myself is, "I'm gettin' by. Hanging in there." And then I told myself that's a shameful answer.

How can I truly think I'm just "getting by" when I have such abundance surrounding me? Yes, I have a lot of body aches today. Yes, I have a screaming 19-month-old who is in the beginning throes of those terrible twos. Yes, I'm feeling the economic pinch. Yes, I have worry and what-ifs etching themselves into my heart. And yet...

I have an abundant life. Not just the basics for human survival (food, water, shelter), but true ABUNDANCE. I have a husband who can drive me crazy (as we did to each other today in a particularly snippy moment), but he's still a man who knows me and loves me despite the snippiness. He's my partner, best friend, lover, and believer in me. And between the two of us, we have not one but two monuments to our love. Our daughter is a kindhearted, eager to please, independent, sassy little girl. Our son is a fast-moving tornado, full of laughter and very loud lungs. I am blessed by these three people, not to mention the dozens of friends and family that surround me daily.

But here's the thing: my abundance comes not only from the love of these people, but from the grateful heart that God has given me. I'm learning from His teaching to be grateful for the abundance He puts in my life, even in the midst of suffering and pain. So I'll change my answer from "getting by" to "soaking in the abundance."