The Scenic Route

As I was scrolling through Instagram I saw a celebrity post an old photo of himself as a teen and included a caption of how if he could go back in time he would tell this kid (himself) to not worry, that everything was going to work out fine and to ignore the bullies that make fun of his nose, that they’d all be kissing his butt someday. Ah, celebrities! Lol. Yes, wouldn’t that be nice if we could all go back in time and tell our younger selves the valuable life lessons we have learned between now and then? I’m sure we’d all have a lot to say, but then if we already knew all of that back then, how would we get to where we are today? We might walk around thinking we are all that because we know exactly how things will pan out. I want to preface by saying that I am never okay with bullying. I will say though that as we go through life, we will face adversity at times, whether that be from other people, from our circumstances or self-inflicted. There will be obstacles along our path. If you look back on your own journey, I bet that you can see that the things that were most difficult to face, were perhaps the things that grew and strengthened you the most. I always say that the best things that we can experience in life rarely come easy. Sometimes challenges are inevitable in reaching our goals and in experiencing amazing things. It is okay when we are facing these challenges to ask for help. It is okay to admit that we are not strong enough to go through it alone. This reminds me of a saying I have heard often through my life, that I now cringe a little when I hear. It goes something like, “God will never give you more than you can handle.” HA!! I don’t know about you, but I have often had more than I can handle. A more truthful statement would be that God will never give you more than He can handle. That is where the beauty lies. God does not want us to struggle alone. He wants us to rely on Him. He can take any situation and use it for good and he wants good for us. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I love this verse! It is filled with hope. I certainly do not want to downplay anyone’s trials. I know many of you have suffered in very real and awful ways. I also know, that if you give your trust to God, He can use those for good. He has done so in my life more times than I can count. So, I guess that I am saying, I might just not whisper into the ear of my younger self and tell her anything. Her journey was not easy, but she has been blessed all along the way and things did turn out pretty amazing! Enjoy the ride!!

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