RainsWriter: Are we in control?

​We think we are in control. We think we know what we want and what we can do. We think our emotions will have no effect on the actions we want to take. Think again. God made us in his image. Perhaps that image is not a physical likeness but a similarity in thoughts and emotions.

God wants us to love one another. There are many people in one’s life that we could or should be loving. If you love your friends, as I do mine, you want only what is best for them. That goes for relatives and even those with whom you exchange brief, rewarding pleasantries.

​I remember a few years ago speaking with a lady in the post office. She had complimented me on my cowgirl hat. She mentioned being from the west and enjoying western gear. I replied that I wore wide-brimmed hats to shade my face from UVA and UVB rays.

My sister, Peggy, died of melanoma and being light skinned, it is a constant battle for me, also. The lady told me of an especially good doctor. She said she would call with his name and number when she got home. Neither of us had pencil or paper. I just told her my telephone number.

When I got home, a message was waiting for me from this lovely, unidentified woman giving me the information. Although we did not exchange names, there is a great soft spot in my heart for her. Receiving help is heart warming. You never know when you are going to meet an angel.

Each of us has to be realistic and know ourselves well enough that we do not put ourselves in positions of emotional pain. Yet it happens. What is the solution to this dilemma? I wish I knew. Perhaps this is why some people resort to alcohol or drugs—to ease emotional pain. What helped me survive the death of my son was turning to God. I also purchased a house that had been vacant for thirteen years.

Image via Grieslightnin of Pixabay. Click here to view his gallery.

​The vacant house was a therapy house. The first rain storm found me without enough buckets, pots and pans to catch all the leaks from the old roof. But it did give me purpose. After teaching a full day, I came home to clean, pound nails, knock out walls and generally exhaust myself. The sheer exhaustive work did as much for me as a shrink could have.

Although we may not be in control, the life lessons presented to us impart incalculable knowledge. If we do not experience grief, how can we understand the emotional pain one feels at the loss of a loved one? If we do not love others, how can we expect others to care about us?

​“….for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7 KJV

©Ann Rains March, 2016