Life Solutions from a 3 year old!

As I was getting ready this morning I was only half listening to my 3 year old play with her toys, smiling at the cute little conversations she was having, until she caught my full attention with a question she posed to one of the little people she had in her hand.

"So Saralynn, What's your favorite problem?"

I chuckled to myself and thought, I should correct her, and almost instantly had the impression/insight, no she just course corrected me!

I thought, we don't love our problems, or have "favorite problems".....  do we?  How often do we talk about the problems we have in our lives? It could be health, finances, relationships, family, weight, whatever. We all have them. Our own favorite problem that seems to be a never ending struggle or recurring scenario in our life. But I don't WANT this problem you might argue, I didn't ASK for it, I would LOVE it if it would disappear. Really... well how often do you find yourself talking about the actual problem in all its juicy details and glory without ever turning the conversation to solutions. I do.  How many times do we go to the Lord in prayer to take this problem from us or help us through it, "cast your burdens at His feet" as the scriptures say, only to pick it back upagain at the end of your prayer, focus on it, dwell on it, stew over it and don't really ever actually turn it over to the Him to help find the solution because we are so busy having a problem!

As I explored this little concept I thought no wonder our problems seem to stick around so long. We hold on to them like security blankets, they start to define us, who we have become because we are carrying this, or dealing with this problem.  Its nice to have others pat us on the back and say you can do it, I'll pray for you, oh look how strong you are to deal with that, I don't know how you do it. Now I'm not trying to mock or offend. I can only speak from my own experiences with life. But I regret to say sometimes its fun to share my problems with people because it somehow helps me feel like I'm a good person for going through it.... when really what kind of person could I be if I was focused on finding and carrying out the solutions to the different problems that arise in my life.

 I learned recently in a seminar by Klemmer and Associates that we all deal with pain, what causes the pain in your life is different from what causes the pain in mine, but the emotions, reactions, and chemical response if you will in our bodies is all the same. Pain is pain.  It doesn't matter what caused it verses what caused someone else's, the fact is you have it. But rest assured then that the path to overcoming it is similar and we can help one another find joy again. Though the scenarios may be different the healing path is the same. How nice that we can walk the solutions path together!

So let's examine  the favorite problems in our life and start focusing on our favorite solutions! Thanks to my 3 year old for allowing me some beautiful insight into how to be a happier, kinder, more successful woman!