"cranquis:  Wow — deep questions! Thanks for sharing your inner struggles with me (and for giving me permission to post this question/reply on my blog). I think most of us humans tend to go through periods of feeling overwhelmed and ""in need"" of help from something (or Someone) bigger and stronger than ourselves — I know *I* do, even though I do feel pretty satisfied with my life overall. And I agree, I can't imagine being able to persist in the face of suffering and pain if it wasn't for my faith in God and His ""Bigger Picture"" plan for humanity. I've written about my faith/beliefs before, and that post also talks about how I find meaning and strength in my faith and my relationships, and how I came to have these beliefs in the first place. So I'll let you read that post for those answers — but I'll expound a bit on the ""big questions that keep me awake at night"", since I haven't talked about that before. In general, I tend to be an easy sleeper. Mrs. Cranquis would attest to this: I can fall asleep almost anywhere, and be snoring happily within minutes. But on the occasional night when I'm feeling stressed out about something (or if I'm just sitting up dealing with a fussy teething Baby Cranquis), the main thoughts that cross my mind are: Am I going to raise this boy to be a gentleman? Will he be loving and kind, a good citizen and a good father himself? Am I being a good example for him? Am I being a good husband? Does Mrs. Cranquis get enough attention and validation as a busy mother? Am I making any progress on avoiding/decreasing my personal flaws? Am I letting God work on those issues too? Am I using my money wisely? Am I prioritizing my life properly, or am I starting to get too focused on having the latest gadgets? Am I spending my time wisely? Am I taking time away from my family and ""wasting"" it on computer games or surfing the web? Am I making time for personal devotions? Why did Firefly get canceled after one season, while Jersey Shore is still on the air? WHY, GOD — WHY?!?!?"
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