Persevere

Sometimes you just have to persevere. That's all there is to it. You have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and know that there is an end in sight. Life isn't easy, and I don't believe we were ever promised that it would be. Think back to when you were a child. Was it easy? Oh yes, there are those carefree summer days. Remember those, the ones you wished would never end. The friends and BBQs, lightening bugs and ice cream truck. Running free in the wind, riding your bike, no boundaries, the only rule to be back by nightfall. But even caught in that freedom is the knowledge that life isn't easy. That hill that was SO hard to climb, the mean word from the friend, the ostracizing from the kids in the neighborhood because of who knows what, the wrong clothes, the parents arguing, the wanting to fit it, the knowing you might not. The insecurity, the fear of the unknown. As easy as it was, in the details it probably wasn't. So why do our memories remind us of all the great stuff and its so easy, sometimes, to forget the bad? I don't know why, but I know I have to look harder to see the bad stuff than to see the good stuff. Maybe its just being a optimist, but I tend to write off the bad and focus on the good. Perseverance has its benefits.

I just knew I had to get through the night. That's all, somehow I would get through it and today would be better. And look, it is! I'm on my patio, its a warm summer morning, and I'm drinking coffee watching my animals play. I feel better, as I knew I would. It was just a matter of making it though the darkness. That's all any of us can do, persevere through the darkness. Because the darkness is going to come, its inevitable. We can't live without the darkness. If we did, we would have absolutely no appreciation of the light anyway. So we need the darkness. Think about that quandary?! If you never were never in the valley, if you never walked through the darkness, how could you even begin to appreciate the light? I don't think we would. We would forget all that there is that is good, and white, and loving and beautiful in this world. So when you really get down to the nitty gritty of it, embrace the darkness. For the darkness allows you to see the light.

I have to share this picture with you. My dear friend Sherri has a wonderful and loving little boy Noah and his heart is so pure. He made me this picture all by himself at daycare. He prays for me all the time. It humbles me that this little child could love me so, could care for me and bring my worries and my trials before his big God and lay them at His feet. What a gift that is. He reminds me to leave my cares at the foot of the Big Guy. They are too big for me to handle anyway, so why even try. Just lay them at the feet of God and say, here, YOU deal with it. Its way too big for me. And you know what, HE WILL. So thank you Noah, you bought tears to my eyes and a warmth to my heart that is irreplaceable. Thanks for teaching me how to handle the big stuff in life. Just let it go and let God. What a smart boy you are! You must have a wonderful mommy! :-)

So persevere my friends. Walk through that darkness with your head held high with the knowledge that the light is just there on the other side waiting for you. Don't worry, its not going to leave you, as long as you keep walking you will make it. One foot in front of the other, and if you stumble, just reach out and take God's hand. He's walking right there with you.