Quote of the Day

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be."

Douglas Adams 

Life has its twists and turns. I can remember six years ago when all of my high school friends had received cars for graduation and my parents didn't have the money to buy one for me. I felt upset and a bit envious that despite all of my hard work, I still didn't have all of the bells and whistles in life. As I look back on the things I wanted and lost when I was younger, I realize how foolish I had been. I think I wanted these things merely because I could not have them, not because they had any real value. 

I also realize that God has a plan for each of us. The only problem with that is his plan is often in conflict with our own. He knows exactly what is good for us and knows each of our hearts. I am so glad he didn't give me a car when I wanted it because I would have never appreciated the one I have now. I'm glad I had to work two jobs to get through college because I appreciated every penny that I earned. 

It's easy to look back and realize that when we were younger, we made so many mistakes and had so many misplaced priorities. The problem I face now is that I see many obstacles in my life and I have yet to see them as just plans God doesn't have for me. He doesn't plan for me to spend Valentine's Day with someone I love, he doesn't plan for me to be the best of the best and he doesn't plan for me to achieve many of the goals on my 'do or die' list.

How do I get to the point of acceptance? When will I have the strength to reach down inside of my heart and let something go? Acceptance takes time and patience. If you try to force yourself into acceptance, you will end up on the losing end of the bargain. With all lost dreams we have in life, we must mourn them and spend time grieving the loss. It's only when we can grieve and understand why we feel the way we do can we move on to bigger dreams. Moving on to bigger dreams requires the faith to know that all things come together in the end and strengthening our faith is the only plan that will bring results. 

I'm strengthening my faith right now by loving the friends that I have and grieving for the love that I have lost. Losing love, missed opportunities, and unfulfilled dreams were things that I never intended to encounter.  Sometimes in life, when we do not arrive where we intended to go, we are finally standing where God has intended us to be.