pressure! pushing down on me...

phew. it's friday. and boy am i thankful for that. this past week has been so challenging in so many different ways that it's a little bit ridiculous.  i know that it's God trying to grow me, but man...how much growth can a person take in one week?

i think that's kind of the beauty of everything that's happened.  through all of this God has shown me that i can handle more than i thought i could. work is challenging. i'm gaining more responsibility, which in one way is good, but in another it makes life more stressful.  i find myself thinking about work and things that i need to do for work in the middle of the night or on the weekend. i'm in a pretty good working environment, which makes things a little better. for the most part everyone in my office gets along and are nice to each other.  i may not always like the work that i have to do, but that's life, and i'm learning to deal with and understand that.

i'm also learning how to just deal with life and life situations.  it feels like i'm getting a crash course. get an apartment. pay bills. get a full-time job. learn how to deal with someone breaking in and stealing from you. learn how to deal with a difficult roommate. you know. the norm. ha.

there are so many things that i'm thankful for though as well. i'm so thankful that it was only material things that were lost. thankful that i have insurance that will cover the cost of the lost items. thankful that i have such loving and caring friends who have helped me through everything. honestly. my friends have been great.  bruce and becky let me and amy stay at their house the night we got back from the beach so i didn't have to worry about cleaning up right away. my boss has also been really understanding and caring, offering to help me out in any way that he can.

life's crazy. i feel like God's showing me that i'm not in control of anything. at all. simple as that. he is. and while i know that, i feel like i needed to be reminded of that, and in a big way. and while it stinks. i'm thankful. i needed it.

a friend shared these verses with me after hearing about everything:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

James 1:2-3

at the time i didn't fully appreciate the meaning behind the verses, but now i think i understand.  i am joyful. joyful that these events bring me even closer to Jesus. joyful that he tests me, but i still remain strong in my faith. yeah, the tests and trials may suck and be hard and test my patience to the extreme limit and further than they've ever been tested, but i know that it's good.

....but i can still be thankful that it's friday. PTL! :)