Is it supposed to be easy?

That's my scrap table/desk in the first picture...as well as a "close-up" of the artwork on the wall beneath it. Ava and Bella used pencil to draw all sorts of little pictures on the wall. It's one of their favorite little spots to hang out, although they have the whole play area in the rest of the room for themselves. They did their drawings a couple of weeks ago, and got a nice time-out and scolding as a result. Bella's response was "Ava told me I could". Hmmm. Peer pressure is gonna be a scary thing in her life for Chip and me over the next several years; I can sense that already.
I had to throw in a couple of photos of Wyndham and Brock as well. Really this post may not even make sense to anyone that reads it. It's just me and my analytical thoughts running around in circles again. That seems to happen quite a bit, and this blog is one of my favorite places for me to unload my random thoughts. That's it.
I've been reading some books lately and some of them have me asking myself all sorts of questions. In addition, I know several people who are in the midst of some big changes in life- some are starting new jobs, some are facing major health concerns/death even, and others are just feeling uncertain of where to turn next. These sorts of things make me stop and look at my own life and I guess that's where these questions stem from.
I sometimes wonder where we get the idea that life is supposed to be so rosy and carefree...easy almost. I mean, it seems like this is the kind of picture that gets painted to many of us as we grow up. You go to school, you graduate and go off to college and major in something you are good at or want to do in life...or get a job that 'matches' your ideal career path, and for some you get married and buy a house and raise a family and just follow this nice plan for your life. If you're lucky or 'successful' you make a great salary and can afford vacations and cars and nice things- designer clothes, big TV's, extracurriculars for yourself and your kids if you have them and sometimes you even top it all off with a boss that you love! Imagine!
The more I live and learn, the more it seems to me that this is not really a part of the plan...or at least not 'the whole picture'. Some of you won't even get where I am coming from, but for others, maybe you sort of have this same sense. That while, sure, it sounds nice and it actually pans out that way for some people, it's not really the way things are ultimately designed.
I have asked myself for years, God, what would you have me do in this world...what is my purpose and how does it fit in with Your plan?
The funny thing is that in all my years of seeking and asking and longing and searching, I've never come across anything, anywhere, that says, "You deserve an easy life- one full of comforts and great success- that just lines up perfectly to what you've had in mind all your life."
No where.
No where have I read that or been promised that in my life.
The Declaration of Independence offers all Americans "the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"...but that's the closest thing I've found to telling me that I deserve a happy life. You see, the thing that keeps tugging at me is how my faith and the Scriptures I read seem to say something almost contrary to that in every way. The Bible talks a lot about how I have to lose my life in order to find it...how I should expect to suffer as a follower of Christ, and how it is more blessed to give than to receive...and even that it is blessing to mourn, for in turn, you receive comfort.
I struggle with how much my 'easy life' lines up with God's plan and purpose for me. I know God blesses people in their lives- I have been overwhelmed with blessing in mine. I thank Him for the things I have- the gifts I have- that I do not deserve. Don't get me wrong. I truly believe God wants each of us to be filled to overflowing with Joy and peace. But what I have learned and realized through the years is that He wants it to come from Him...through a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus. Things can bring you temporary joy and happiness, but what God has planned for us, I believe, is that we go through trials and suffering and times of uncertainty in order to recognize that 'stuff' isn't enough. We need more than things to fill the longings in our soul.
Once I have learned that nothing in this world will ever satisfy the needs of my heart- that there is only one God who can meet my deepest needs- then I can begin to live the life God intended for me all along. The fact that God sent His Son, Jesus to suffer and die on a cross for my sin is something you and I can never repay. God doesn't ask anything from any of us, except that we believe and accept this gift of salvation from Him. Therein, lies the answer to my questions for me.
For some, an easy life sounds like the best thing in the world. But I would suggest that suffering- for Christ's sake-is the better way to live. So there is my inner tension- my struggles. Sure I have lots of things on my plate at any given time; a busy household, family and job. But my life- even with pencil drawings on the walls and day-to-day things piling up in every corner, is still full of goodness and 'ease' and blessings. I have a warm bed and all the food and clothing I need. I have more than enough to be content...my life is really very 'easy' in contrast to many people in this world. It makes me pause and wonder...is it supposed to be this way, or is there something more I need to do?
That's on my mind these days...and I hope that I am willing and able to accept the tasks that are set before me. With grace, humility and gratitude. This new month and the coming Christmas season are really the perfect backdrop for me to focus, and to re-prioritize, or to even take on new tasks- for the sake of growing in my relationship with God. I don't know where He plans to lead- or even how easy or difficult the road may be- but I know it is a blessing to be on it with Him. Every moment of everyday.