Love each day of your journey

As the days grow shorter and the nights longer, I like to wake up early and sit by the window in my kitchen. There, I watch as the first rays of sunlight creep across the backyard landscape. Seeing the contrast between the shadows and the patches of light, my mind tends to wander. I can’t help but reflect that the same is true with the light and dark; the ups and downs in our lives.

Maybe you’ve experienced some tough times and, right now, your world seems bleak. Perhaps, you feel that because of a mistake, you missed out on so much of life. Time has been wasted. And in your fear, loneliness or distress, now you could be limiting what you can really bring about and achieve for your future.

But, remember, darkness may come, yet so does the bright morning light.

Today, let me assure you that God knows where you are and what has happened. Even if situations haven’t yet gone as you had hoped, God’s hand is upon you. Do not worry; do not be afraid. The dark moments will only last a short time… and then comes your deliverance.

• God delivered the people of Israel from Pharaoh.

• God delivered the Egyptians by parting the Red Sea.

• God delivered Daniel from the hungry lions.

He delivers people from whatever they are in bondage or enslaved. And God is still in the delivery business. Thus, trust this promise of God. “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.” (Isaiah 58:8)

Don’t shrink backward. Move forward in faith.

Open your Bible. Read. Pray. Talk to God. Continue persisting, making a difference in the lives of others. Light is about to break forth in your life.

So, as you work and patiently wait, imagine God is walking in front of you opening up the right doors and closing the wrong ones. Possibly, one door has been closed for a reason. So you can walk through another door that will lead you to greater peace and happiness. A few years back, a friend of mine approached some top executives at an organization with a creative idea. My friend was sure the executives would hire her to implement it. Rather, the executives took the idea and executed it as their own. My friend was completely blindsided. Devastated, she couldn’t believe that this group would steal her dream. For months thereafter, she was stagnant. Whenever she thought about what had happened, she’d cry. One day, her mother said to her, “My dear, they may have stolen your idea; but they didn’t take your life.”

With that, my friend got her passion back. She prayed and asked God to give her another innovative idea. And, the God of deliverance did.

Before long, she found herself with another company designing beautiful products for retail stores. This opportunity wouldn’t have been possible if she were working with that other organization. God brought her through with the victory and it was better than what she had hoped.

Likewise, God has called you to do something great. Trust Him and start believing again in your God-given abilities to see your dreams come to fruition. Keep your eye focused on what’s most important to you.

God’s plans are for your good, and “He can make a way where there seems to be no way.” You’re smart, strong and capable; there’s no one else exactly like you. You have skills and talents that are yours alone. It’s not too late to start again. There’s always a new opportunity. There is always hope. Therefore, let go of self-imposed limitations. Forget the hurts others may have caused. Challenge the status quo. Get out of your comfort zone. And give all you have to your hopes and dreams. With God as your guide, begin to tread a new path. I like what D.L. Moody once said, “If you partner with God, make your plans big!”

Not long ago, I read a story somewhere about a boy nicknamed, “Sparky.” Throughout his youth, he must have felt like an underdog, as it was said that Sparky was a shy and awkward boy. But God gave him a gift; the ability to draw. “Someday, you’re going to be an artist,” a kindergarten teacher once uttered to him. And he held that dream in his heart.

However, Sparky was rejected over and over. In his senior year of high school, he submitted some drawings to the editors of his yearbook. He was painfully turned down. Sparky sent some art samples to various companies. Yet, he was rejected time and again.

Author, Napoleon Hill wrote, “The world has the habit of making room for the man whose actions show that he knows where he is going.” So, when you go through disappointments, don’t ever get so disheartened that you give up on your dreams. For most brilliant ideas and changes require a time of discomfort. Yet, for the most part, discomfort is usually a good sign, as it can mean that you are getting somewhere.

Sparky worked at various odd jobs, and was in the service, but never settled for average, nor let his dream go. Subsequently, Sparky had a creative thought, and he decided to draw his own autobiography in a comic strip. The hurts of his early years provided the material, as he described his childhood in pictures; a little-boy who was an under-achiever; a child who was not popular and who was clumsy. He drew pictures of himself holding a kite that would never fly, kicking a football and falling down, and losing a baseball game. God works in mysterious ways. Sparky, the boy who was shy and rejected, grew to become the famous cartoon character, Charlie Brown in his comic strip Peanuts! Every time Charles Schulz failed, he bounced back. Schultz never quit or gave up on God’s good plan for his life. He spread his light to others. He dreamed a big dream and made it come true! And you can do the same.

The dark times won’t last. Be in peace knowing that God is working everything out for you. “God is to us a God of deliverance…” (Psalm 68:20). Love each day of your journey. A special blessing is being sent your way today.

The dark times won’t last. Be in peace knowing that God is working everything out for you.