Sunday, November 21, 2010

Have a great time on your trip!

Life is hard.  Life is worth living. Life is a canvas.  Life is an experiment. Life is a cabaret.  Lots of quotes and philosophies about what Life is, show up in every form of media that exists.

For me, Life is..... a journey, a trip, that each of us as human beings are on together.  We really are all in this together.  We make choices, some good, some not so good.  And we all reap the consequences of our actions.  That always sounds a little scary, but in reality, we reap lots more that are good than not.

But, Life is.... hard.  We get tired and worried and wonder what on earth is going on; and what if......!

When we are children, we look with trust to our parents for security, love, and happiness.  If you were blessed with parent(s) who gave you those things, you will most likely be a secure, loving, and happy adult.  But wait!  Once you are an adult, you realize what it took for your parent(s) to do all they did to provide for you.
They were tired, worried, and wondered what on earth was going on.  But they put themselves second and often were excellent actors, so that you could be the very best and happiest you could possibly be. 

In addition, if your parents were people of faith, then you were given a gift that is truly life-altering.  My parents lived their faith. That was the starting place for my own.  They never shoved their beliefs down their childrens' throats. Yes, we went to church all of the time, and it gave me additional information to help me on my spiritual journey.  But in our daily life, we were not forced to read the Bible and pray out loud, or any other routine except saying the blessing at meals.  Mostly, what I learned was that it is important what you believe.  So, since then, I have been seeking God's guidance and blessing as I continue on my journey. 

Right now I am feeling the need to re-read my very favorite Max Lucado book, Traveling Light.  I would highly recommend it to anyone; easily read, truly both moving and pertinent.

Here is a short description:

"Weary travelers.  You've seen them--everything they own crammed into their luggage.  Staggering through terminals and hotel lobbies with overstuffed suitcases, trunks, duffels, and backpacks.   Backs ache.  Feet burn.  Eyelids droop.  We've all seen people like that.  At times, we are people like that-if not with our physical luggage, then at least with our spiritual load.  Fear.  Worry. Discontent.
No wonder we get so weary. We're worn out from carrying that excess baggage.  Wouldn't it be nice to lose some of those bags?"
He goes on to use the twenty-third Psalm as a guide to why and how we should release some of the burdens we were never meant to bear.



OPTIMISM: "Play hard, laugh hard, and leave the worries to your Father."
Be a bottomless well of optimism flooded by a perpetual spring of faith.

— Max Lucado