I first read this message at my friend Cathy’s house in Florida back in February. Our friend Vicki had given her a plaque with these words. Then recently I saw this sign in a thrift store. I think God is trying to tell me something.

For too many years, I worked too many hours. I had too many worries. I didn’t take time to stop and enjoy the ride, or to smell the roses. If I sat down on my porch to rest, I was thinking about what needed to be done inside my house.

I have always been a “getting ready for the next thing” kind of girl.  If I have not been fighting the rapids trying not to drown, I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop, and making whatever preparations I could ahead of time to catch it when it did.

Letting myself fully go has been a struggle for me. I want to always do my part and help in any way possible. (Like God needs my help.) Although God has ALWAYS been faithful in my life, through the years I have rarely leaned back into Him, put the oars in the boat and just quit fighting the rapids and relaxed.

In the turbulent times, at times I found myself holding on for dear life. And instead of basking in the sun in the good times, I was often looking in the distance for the next storm cloud.

I have been through a lot. Battles with cancer. The death of both of my parents. A divorce almost 30 years ago. A major betrayal by a best friend. Now I live with a chronic pain illness every day. These skim the surface of the adventurous ride I have had. Nothing like a little adversity to set your priorities straight.

Certainly, I love my husband. I love my family. I love my friends. Most importantly, I love my Lord. Through all the trials in my life, and with a little more experience and a little more wisdom, I have come to realize that I have missed out by not always appreciating every moment of my life. 

These days I am trying harder to live in the moment, to look around right now in this instant, and take inventory. Is my health okay right now? Check. Is my family well and safe? Check. Are financial needs being met? Check. What starts out as an inventory list, quickly becomes an exercise in gratitude. After all, don’t we all have so so much to be thankful for? And when we take stock of all the good God has given us in our lives (and there is an awfully lot of good even through adversity), it becomes impossible for our mood not to be lifted.  

Day in and day out, the sun comes up, the sun goes down. Creation is calling, “Look at me. God did this all for you.” Are we too busy, too worried, too tired to notice? Look around. The view is pretty awesome, no matter the circumstances.

Love your journey. It is yours alone. Be in love with your life. There is something good in every minute of it, even through the hardest times.

Erma Bombeck once said, “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, WOW !!!! What a ride!” That’s how I want to arrive in Heaven at the end of my life. How about you?

Truly life is about the journey. May we learn to embrace it, and may we learn to love it as God intended.

Dear Lord: Thank You that You are the giver of life. Forgive us when we don’t always appreciate our lives the way we should. Peace is found when we realize that You are in charge of it all, and You love us so much more than we can even imagine. You are faithful, and You never leave us nor forsake us. Life is good simply because You are good. May we seek our contentment by resting in You and Your strength and provision. Amen

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13

Do you love your life? Or are you just getting through? Gratitude goes a long way toward bringing joy. There is such peace and freedom in letting go and letting God. He can be trusted with it ALL. Please share your comments, ideas, and experiences.

Thank you for reading and sharing my blogpost. May God bless you and your family richly. And may you always be in love with your life.