Our Toughest Times Of 2018

                                                          Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                          everyday is a journey.



These stones that make the 
meadow brooklet murmur
Are the keys on which it plays.
O'er every shelving rock its 
ouch grows firmer,
Resounding notes to raise.

If every path o'er which footsteps wander,
Were smooth as ocean strand,
There were no theme for gratitude 
and wonder
At God's delivering hand.

--W. E. Winks

Looking back, it was a pretty tough year for us. Now, don't get me wrong. We are healthy. We had no real financial issues. The area where we struggled was more in regards to our dream goals than the physical. It seemed that whatever we had planned in the future was probably not going to happen.

Now that can be pretty devastating, because a person can spend so much time living that dream in our minds that it feels so real to us. Whether or not it would have happened is another story, but the hope was there for it to come to fruition. 

Honestly, as bad as it was to see the failure of those goals, going bust for good, it was probably for the best. For me, I realized that my goals weren't exactly realistic at all. There were many holes in it and I am glad I found that out now. Imagine if they came true and I found myself with everything failing then? It would have been terrible. All that time and money invested for nothing. A good thing happened when that dream went bust.

The same thing with Emily. She had many problems with her work situation. Things weren't coming out the way she hoped. Many promotions came and went with her being passed over. It can be very hurtful and damaging when we are passed over. We begin to feel inadequate, unappreciated and useless. We start to question if we are at where we should be? 

Waiting of any kind truly sucks. The longer we wait or are at a standstill, the more we feel forgotten and become crestfallen with despair. The why me syndrome occurs and depression settles in slowly. We are extremely horrible at the waiting. Every struggle or trial becomes the biggest ever. We can easily become envious at the success of others in our life. 

There is an illustration that Dr. Charles Stanley uses to best describes our situation. Imagine ourselves in a darkened tunnel that we cannot see out of. At the end of that tunnel stands Jesus and He is calling to us softly to keep going. Come on, keep going. Almost there. And He is smiling. He is smiling, because He knows what is at the end of that tunnel. 

I truly love that illustration of Dr. Stanley and often remind myself whenever life becomes difficult or a struggle. It is so true, because the outcome is always so much better. They meant if for evil, but He meant it for good. 

Have a blessed day everyone.