When You Feel Your Hands Are Tied

"I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!" This seems to be a common theme lately. I can't even count the number of times I've heard people say this over the past three months.  You get is some situation where you feel all your options are gone and you're left with this one undesirable option, you feel stuck and trudge forward as it is the "only option".  Can I let you in on a secret?  It's a lie.

I spoke to a widow friend the other day and she explained how many people tell her how strong she is and her response is "I don't have a choice." With five children to take care of at home she couldn't just fall apart.  She honestly believed it was NOT her strength that kept her going but her lack of options.  

The Reality of the situation is this; THERE IS ALWAYS A CHOICE. We always have options.  Every morning we choose to get out of bed, we choose to eat breakfast, we choose to take a bath, we choose to leave our house or go to work or anything else we do.  There is ALWAYS a choice! There are many times we only see one acceptable option and we feel so strongly about that option that we forget there are other options.

I remember when my husband had just found out that his cancer had come back and the doctor recommended surgery.  He was heart broken. He expressed his frustration because "he had to go through surgery again."  I explained to him that he did NOT have to go through surgery and that he needed to understand it was his choice.  We always have a choice.  

When we recognize that we have a choice we feel empowered, that's why it's so important to break apart these lies.

As a new year is upon us it is SO important that we take back control of our lives and realize you are the master of your own destiny. So set a goal, do something you love, develop a talent, read a good book, try a new recipe, take up a new hobby, do something that scares you..you might just surprise yourself.

Read More Here:

Finding Light in Spiritual Darkness

Cancer Diagnosis

Stop Selling Yourself Short

My Hands Are Tied

It was strangly quiet one afternoon at my mothers.  I hadn't seen my kids for a while, knew they were with my sister and decided it was time to go check on them.  I laughed so hard when I found this...

My four-year-old was being a pirate or something and had tied up Auntie's hands and feet.  It was pretty darn funny.

I've been thinking alot lately about how often things happen in my life and I feel that I am powerless to do anything about it.  Two weeks ago my four-year-old took a spill at the playground.  From his cries I knew he was hurt.  I sat him down to relax for a minute but when the crying hadn't subsided in five minutes I knew I needed to get him home.  After Tylenol and some rest I thought he was improving but took him into Urgent Care.  The doctor was pretty sure from the swelling it was broken.  I took him down to X-ray and my heart broke as I had to move his arm for the X-ray.  He screamed in pain at the slightest movement.  The verdict was a subcondular fracture or hairline fracture on the elbow end of his upper arm.  They sent us to Primary Children's hospital (which was 45 minutes away in the afternoon traffic). 

He was really calm which was great because it killed me to see him in pain.  After five hours in the ER they sent him home in a splint.  The little guy had been a trooper all day and then, at 1:00 it hit him.  The pain was in full force and there was NOTHING I could do to console him.  It took about 30 minutes of soothing and reassuring (and more medicine) before he finally calmed down.  I was on the phone with the hospital trying to figure out what happened.  I was up every three hours for the next two nights giving him pain relievers.

I was shocked at the emotional toll this took on me.  It was such an aweful feeling to sit and try to soothe him each time he woke in pain.  The only thing that kept me from falling apart is that I knew my presence there was a comfrot to him.  I really felt as if my hands were tied.  My heart ached for all the parents who have children with serious health concerns who fight that helpless feeling on a regular basis.  It also made me think of how a loving Heavenly Father must feel when he sees us making choices that cause us pain in our lives.  My greatest comfort is that His hands are never tied.  When we seek Him the comfort and strength that we need to pull us through is there.  As my love for my children grows stronger I am beginning to understand how God really feels about me, about you.  He loves us so much and is always close at hand when we cry out in pain and His hand aren't tied.

Read More Here:

I'm The Girl Who Hides in My Bathtub...And That's Okay!

Doing The Impossible

My Hands Are Tied-Part 2