Dear Editor,

Isn’t life a bowl of cherries? Everything is fine and all is well, when suddenly it begins to happen. You know what I mean: You haven’t had a toothache for 20 years or the fridge has lasted since the stone age. The washer and dryer have been operating fine since Nixon was president, and that car or truck we drive has been running smoothly since Henry Ford was a salesman. The dishwasher, never an issue, and the shingles on our roofs have been holding up since Elvis was a small boy. Then it happens! Why does all go wrong at the same time? We all can handle an issue, but the problem is when all these things I’ve mentioned go bad at once! Is it just life when crazy things happen to all of us, or is there someone up there that loves to put us to the test?

These periods of grace we get when everything is peaches and cream. We have money, health, the sun is shining, the bills are paid, when suddenly “Boom,” the car grinds to a halt, you wake up with a toothache, the dishwasher floods the kitchen, an unexpected bill shows up and we get the flu all at the same time! We cry out “Why me, why me?” Well, why not me? We all go through tough times in our lives, some very rough times and other times pure insanity, but we’re alive, we’re breathing and we all know there is a light at the other end of the tunnel.

When I sit down and focus on life’s problems, my problems and others, I find that all these issues were not stumbling blocks, but learning experiences. Most of these so called break downs are very, very trivial compared to other people’s concerns. The flu will go away, the washer will get replaced, the truck will be repaired or traded in, the roof can be repaired and somehow, some way money can always be acquired. I’m always going to be in debt to someone and best of all, the sun is going to rise. So, what do we do through all of life’s issues and breakdowns? We remain calm as calm can be, take a deep breath and thank God we can! Our past experiences tell us it will be OK, and it always helps if we pray about it. Take a moment of our precious time to give back a little to our creator. Go to your knees, if you’re able, and say a little prayer. Ask God to help you, not with money, but with patience, hope and acceptance. Ask Him to give you strength to endure your pain or frustration in this world. In Luke 12:25-26 it says, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” In James 1:2 it states “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.”

Trust dear folks, trust in the Lord with all your heart and through everything in life be glad in it! All we have is temporary!

Rich Lucas

Flushing