Life's A Journey
The challenges and joys of life can come at the most unexpected times and cause us to question ourselves, our choices, or our faith. The times of uncertainty and the blessings of life have a way of affecting each of us differently. Sometimes we are prepared for the outcome and other times we find ourselves struggling to maintain normalcy in some areas of our lives. These highs and lows, joys and pain, planned and unplanned experiences often impact our mental, physical and emotional health. Sometimes dealing with the ups and downs has even pushed us to rethink our priorities and reassess our relationships. Some of us have had tough times because of a health problem, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, relationship issues, and just the stress of daily living. Most of what we worry about are things that are out of our direct control. We can certainly pray, adjust our habits, make time for family, and do other things that help us to cope and enjoy ourselves but we often focus on the negatives. We must change our mindset when dealing with adversity or experiencing joyful moments. We must begin to integrate the good and bad times and learn from both and remember that life’s a journey.
We have heard or have spoken these words “enjoy the journey”. The journey may come with victories and defeats but we must continue to keep our hope. Learning to appreciate the good times helps when the journey hits rough terrain. Remembering what’s going well will get you through the disappointments, disruptions, and discouraging times. Maintaining your joy may seem like a challenge but when you see the positive in spite of the negative your heart will begin to heal from the hurts of the past. This has to become an intentional part of our faith journey.
We are not left alone on life’s journey but have our relationship with Jesus to see us through. Our thoughts must turn toward the word of God when we are overwhelmed. “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8)
The journey of life will continue to have hills and valleys, sunshine and rain, joy, and pain but learning to enjoy the journey helps to make each day more special. Beginning to look at what we value differently can free us from the expectations of perfection that can lend itself to a negative assessment of life. Remember the old hymn says, “There’s a bright side somewhere, don’t you rest until you find it.” Life’s journey may be filled with swift transitions, unplanned detours, unspeakable joy, and glorious moments. Learn to enjoy them all because they are what make life a journey worth living.