By Dani Stroda 
We, as humans, walk through a lot of junk in our journey of life. Hard times hit us when we least expect them or we chose to fill our lives with stressful busy-ness – knowing life will be tough for that season – but willing to ‘do hard things’ for the greater reward. We walk through illnesses, job loss, divorce, parenting stresses, family hardships, accidents, and death. If I’ve discovered one thing this year, it is that we humans are incredibly resilient and live through things that we think we never will survive.
But hard times are not the only times we walk through. Sometimes life is good. Sometimes life is more than good – sometimes life can be great, you can be living your dream, no major issues to deal with in the moment – just good stuff. The funny thing about processing life when it’s good is that there can be an element of guilt that your life is good and there are people – yes, even friends – walking through hard times.
I’ve found there’s a lot of advice and encouragement out there for when life is bad – as there should be. We need to know that it’s ok to cry, to pray, to ask for help… that it’s ok to not be ok. But what about when we are ok? What do we do, how do we act, when life is good? Is it really ok to be ok? I found a few weeks ago, when I was facing a season that I thought was going to be hard and it wasn’t, that I needed permission to be ok. It truly is ok to be ok.
So here’s a few tips on living life when you really are OK, when things are going well, when life is just overwhelmingly GOOD….
1. Don’t feel guilty! You’ve probably walked hard times before this season, and most likely will walk hard things in the future. Sometimes I think we forget that there is usually a reward to getting through to the other side of hard stuff – it’s ok to enjoy it! Celebrate and thoroughly appreciate this season of good!
2. Don’t brag or be arrogant… but don’t keep it to yourself. The world (well at least your family, friends and Facebook world) watches your life – they know when you walk hard times and they need to know when you are walking in good times. When my life and situation is hard, it brings me hope to remember that things won’t always be this way. When I look at your life and how you’ve journeyed to the other side of a hardship – it is an encouragement to me to push through and hold on because better days are coming.
3. Don’t forget to pray and be thankful. Often, when things are hard, it’s easy to call out to God for help. We know we are supposed to look for things to be grateful for in the midst of our hardships. But when things get good, don’t forget to maintain your relationship with God. He doesn’t just help us in hard times but wants to walk with us through the good times too. Thank Him for those times and what He is doing!
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