A dear friend of mine is losing her battle with cancer. She is just 23 years old, she has the rest of her life ahead of her, but she is stuck living what little time she has left hooked up to a ventilator in the hospital. While she was struggling for her life I was sitting at home stressed out of my mind caring for a rambunctious three year old while trying to prepare for the following week of school. I was overwhelmed and feeling a little sorry for myself. This dear friend helped put things in perspective for me. I am so blessed to be able to go to school, to get my education. I am so blessed to be able to mother such a sweet little boy, as rambunctious as he may be. My trials, though they may seem big to me at the time, are nothing compared to the trials of others.
As a single parent it is easy to get caught up in the everyday challenges of raising children on your own. It is a constant battle to even find time to brush your teeth in the morning, let alone get the kids off to school. It is difficult, it is challenging, but it is a blessing. Even as single parents we have so much to be grateful for. We get the opportunity to raise these sweet little spirits, to teach them the ways of the world, and to guide them to success and happiness in this life. What a blessing it is to watch them learn and grow. Find the blessings amidst the struggles, they are there, you only have to look.
Everybody is fighting their own battle; for some of us it may be parenting on our own, for others it may be cancer. No matter the struggle, we all need someone to lean on. Look around you and find someone you can serve today. It may not seem like much, but to them it could mean the world. Don’t let yourself get swallowed up in the everyday struggles of life; reach out to those around you, and in time you may start to realize that your trials really aren’t that big after all.