One of my all-time-favorite Christmas movies is "A Muppet Christmas Carol," and the watching of this movie sets the tone for the holiday spirt that washes over me.
In the movie, Kermit The Frog sadly is sharing with his other children about the loss of his son, Tiny Tim, and explaining that,"Life is a series of comings and goings. That is the way of things." It is a sad scene filled with emotion as Miss Piggy attempts to hide her tears from the others. I can relate with this scene because it is so true, that life, all life, is about comings (birth) and goings (death), but it's the between times that matter and are the gift of life. How we choose to live that life is up to us.
"The future belongs to those who believe
in the beauty of their dreams." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
As a therapist, I feel compelled to help people live the best life they can, even in the face of adversity. Sometimes, discouragement can knock us to our knees where we are not sure we have enough energy or strength to get back up again. I work to help people find a purpose and dream for the lives, a direction they are moving toward, a passion, and a reason to live.
In the Bible, one of my favorite stories is about Joseph. Joseph had a series of dreams and shared them with his family. The dreams spoke of his leadership over his brothers and their bowing down to him. Joseph's brothers were jealous of the dreams and the love of their father for Joseph, so they planned to murder him. The oldest brother "saved" his life by offering they sell him as a slave to a passing caravan. Joseph was 17 years old and for the next twenty years he went through many trials and tribulations, which ultimately led him before the Pharaoh of Egypt. Joseph interpreted a dream of Pharaoh's and was promoted to second-in-charge of Egypt. When Jospeh's brothers came for food during a famine in the land, Joseph reveals himself to them, forgives them, and embraces them as family again. Joseph's dreams came true and he was willing to go through a lot of pain and suffering ultimately to realize;
"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good
to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Genesis 15:20
The same comes true for Kermit and Tiny Tim (who did not die) when Ebenezer Scrooge comes to realize that love heals all wounds, and forgiveness mends a broken heart. In conclusion, Tiny Tim wraps it all up when he says, "God Bless us, one and all!"
If you have a dream, like Joseph, or challenges like Tiny Tim, you may be going through trials that are meant to prepare you for the realization of God's purpose for your life. I recently heard that, "God does not give his strongest soldiers the most difficult battles, but from the most difficult battles come the strongest soldiers."
If you would like a new perspective, please call Encouragers Counseling & speak with one of our encouragers today. If you would like to help us fight the "good fight" please call Jennifer at 951-900-4414 to offer a tax deductable financial gift.