We humans do not value what has not been hard earned.  We look up to those of experience who have “been there”, “done that”; those who somehow survived the worst and appear to have made it through emotionally and physically intact.

Those things that have stuck with me and provide the greatest wisdom were hard learned through tough and sometimes painful experiences.  Nothing good comes easily. Long ago I decided to embrace opportunities to grow instead of running from or being afraid of them.

This decision has changed the way I live.  Looking life straight in the face I am able to deal with life’s little distractions before they become major disasters.  There are no unopened letters setting on my desk.  No unreturned phone calls or errands I have put off because they are unpleasant.   Learning to embrace life with all its ups and downs continues to provide many opportunities to strengthen my emotional and spiritual life.

Knowing my personal limitations and planning my life around what I can do, instead of setting myself up to fail.  Faith and Trust in my Father have taught me to rely on His good judgment for each day’s duties.  Doing, to the best of my ability, what providence has placed in my hands to do each day and then leaving the results with Him.

Accepting my life is in His care simply means nothing is wasted.  The good, the bad, and the ugly of life are all good.  They provide lessons to learn, chances to stretch and grow beyond who I am today.  When I learn a lesson well it simply means I will not have to pass over that road again.

No, I’m not done yet.  There will always be more to learn and places in my life to improve.   The Lord will find a new road with different lessons for me to master.