The Wilderness

It has been several months since my last post. I have to admit it is crazy how life can often get away from us. Like in recent post, I have talked about how the past year has been one obstacle after another. Many times over and over again I have asked myself the same question time after time. Why? Why can life not just be easy? Why am I faced with challenge, after challenge? Why do I find myself struggling just to get by? I work hard. I work not just one job, but two jobs. I give 100% and yet still seem to fall short. The easy answer to this for many would be bad luck. I could sit back and have a pity party and say poor me. Or I can get out of bed every day and chose to make today better then yesterday.

The reality of life is simple. If every thing, every situation was simply just handed to us. If we didn’t have to walk through the wilderness to reach the top of the mountain would we really appreciate what we have and how we got there? 10 years ago I would have looked at this situation and been mad! I would have been ready to go on a never ending rampage of revenge. But what would that solve? It would only cause more anger and more frustration. Instead I chose to embrace the wilderness. Enjoy the beauty of the my surroundings and count the blessings that I have right in-front of me. No life is not exactly how I imagined it would be at this very moment. But that’s OK.

We live in a society that I like to call the “Wall-Mart” era. We run out of food, we go to Wall-Mart, we need light bulbs, clothes, toys and the list goes on and we go to “Wall-Mart”. With this mind set in society mind we think when we ask God for something it should be granted NOW. But where is the lesson? Where is the pride in knowing that with God by your side you walked through the wilderness and you reached the top of the mountain?

I have spent the last 3 months climbing the mountain. Searching for answers. Asking the questions of why and how. How does a 35 year old woman in the best shape of her life end up in the back of an ambulance with her life flashing before her eyes. Then just weeks later finds herself sitting with her sisters and family at the bedside of our mother watching her fight for her life. I can ask those questions all day long. But as I sat with my mother for Thanksgiving, and many other family members it became so clear. The view on top of the mountain was worth the walk through the wilderness.

Don’t let your walk discourage you from reaching the top of your mountain. Embrace the moment. Lean on God and your brothers and sisters in Christ to help you and guide you through the tall grass, trees, and swamps of the wilderness. I promise you this, the view at the top of is worth more then quitting before you reach it!