Embrace Life - Don't Avoid It!

My brother has been coming to visit often the last year. It’s been so nice. There were literally years we’d go without seeing each other. You know, you get busy, you’re raising a family, working, all that.  Anyway, I am getting to see him at least every 3 months and we are having a wonderful time together!

When he travels this way, he uses his gps. He sets it to avoid toll roads since he has to come up through the Dallas area to get here. He By keeping away from the roll roads he keeps away from paying for the drive.

Danny’s aunt, who is in hospice, quit traveling a long time ago. She wanted to avoid the long trips and just got to where she didn’t want to go anywhere but church and grocery stores. She began to avoid travel altogether long before she wasn’t able to go anymore.

Sometimes we just want to avoid things because they’re a lot of trouble or they make us tired. Danny and I used to leave for his dad’s house at 6 pm on Fridays. We’d arrive around 2 in the morning. We finally realized that we were too tired to do that anymore. We’d have a hard time driving the  hours it took to get there in the night.

There are specific things we all try to avoid.  Pain, suffering, sorrow, fear, disappointment, discouragement, or loss.  If we’re not careful we’ll find ourselves trying to avoid joy, happiness, discovery, blessings and more.  We convince ourselves that something bad will eventually happen so we avoid the good things that life brings our way.  We could avoid life altogether, but troubles and heartache know our address so they come knocking on our door no matter where we live.

Try as you might, you can’t avoid some things.  There’s no way you can set your heart’s gps to avoid life’s ups and downs.  You cannot isolate yourself but you can insulate yourself. God’s Word will teach you how to make it through the things you would rather avoid.  It will also teach you to embrace the good things and take them as blessings while you can.

Oh beloved, God has a wonderful plan for your life! Even through the hard places, He is with you to carry you through! While there will be hard roads to travel and not so pleasant places to visit – He will be with you always! You never have to go it alone! Unlike a gps, which could fail or send you the wrong way – God never fails and you can trust Him even when it’s hard.

Embrace the joys and take the blessings whenever they come! Rejoice with friends and family. Live well. Laugh often. Love much. Although we don’t know when life’s hardships will appear, we know that as we enjoy the good times we are making memories that will carry us through to heaven. God loves you, He is with you always and He can be trusted to take you all the way home to heaven! And that’s all that really matters.

2 Corinthians 1:4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

Deuteronomy 12:7 There you and your families will feast in the presence of the LORD your God, and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because the LORD your God has blessed you.

 

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

Psalm 23:4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.