yes, it could be.

in addition to my typical long days of jam-packed activities, longer nights of dancing dancing, long work shifts, midterms, papers, and the usual personal business... i recently rolled my left ankle while doing my usual 5 miles on the treadmill. i thought it'd go away overnight. but nope, it's been a couple days and piercing pain every time i walk or even attempt to dance. wonderful... just in time for an upcoming church talent show and our final mcia performances of the year. bummer.

then this morning, as i limped to campus, i passed by a guy with a wrapped leg, another guy on crutches and another guy with a prosthetic leg. seriously all within 10 minutes. and there i was complaining about a minor rolled ankle? God really does have a way of opening my eyes...

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Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet various kinds of trials,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
And let steadfastness have its full effect,
that you may be complete & perfect, lacking in nothing.
[James 1:2-4]
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lately, "it could be worse" has become a common saying during conversations with friendsies and even a constant reminder to myself. we complain about the classes we take and the amount of school work we have, but we're blessed enough to even be at this top-notch university. we complain about boredom at work, but we're blessed to even have a job in "this economy". we complain about gas prices, but we're blessed with our own cars. we complain about nothing (good) to eat, but we're blessed with even having things to choose from in our fridge. we spend so much time complaining that we don't have enough time to acknowledge what we actually do have.

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Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation,
among whom you shine as lights in the world
[Philippians 4:14-15]

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God places every trial in your life to grow you, to produce patience and steadfastness, to prepare you for the greater challenges ahead... but also for the even more glorious rewards that are to come. it's always easy to be grateful when life's full of rainbows and butterflies, but the true testing of your faith comes when you're at your lowest point. maybe that's the exact point where you need something (or someone) more than what's providing that temporary comfort. as difficult as it is, we're called to consider even the toughest of times to be a blessing. imagine that, while we're kicked down to the ground, we're expected to be thankful? exactly. we are expected to be thankful because of our faith in God, because of the hope in Christ that our faith entails.

count it all joy, kids.
count it all joy.

hey, at least now i got a little gangster walk :)