Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia. After I stepped out onto the front porch to embrace the new day, I met with the Living God from inside looking out this morning and I read my Instruction Manual after the sun showed itself in the sky. It’s that time of year of uncertainty. One day it’s warm enough to enjoy, one day it can be endured with warm clothes or a blanket, and one day it’s unbearably cold. I don’t give up when the weather gets in the way of my morning time on the front porch and I don’t give up when other things alter what my heart desires either. Instead, I embrace it all, give thanks for it all, press on through it all, and I look for the Treasure in the good and the “bad” throughout this amazing Journey of Life. Isn’t that what you do too?

Being able to enjoy the sunrise outside on an old porch is one of my life’s greatest joys. I cling to the warmth for as long as I can and I don’t much like it when the season changes and temperatures drop. But IF I have a Heart of gratitude, I take it all in stride and I love it through every season…just the way I do in the Journey of Life. Comparing the enjoyment of the sunrise to the significant trials in Life may seem lame on the surface, but it takes the same kind of Heart to embrace the ups and the downs in the Journey. I am forever Confident that the Living God…the God who “gives and takes away”…the God who “scattered the stars in the sky and knows them each by name”…the God who flooded the earth because He was sick of the wickedness…knows what He’s doing in ALL things and I Trust Him through it all.

If I had my way, I’d make each day clear, sunny, and 70 degrees and I’d destroy all the beauty that comes through each season in the process. I’d wreak havoc on nature and I’d thwart the growth. I’d never see the magnificent colors of the Fall, and I’d never watch the new things unfold in the Spring. I’d never see the fields blanketed with pure white snow, and I’d never see the birds scrambling for worms after a rain. There’s no end to the “damage” I would do IF I had my own way with the weather at the farm….and so it is with Life. Taking it in stride, pressing on no matter how dire the circumstances appear to be, and seeing the Beauty in the Will of a God we cannot see with our own eyes, is the KEY to Spiritual Contentment and Joy. That’s what Spiritual Maturity looks like!

I’m an imperfect woman living an imperfect life but I serve the Perfect One and I love Him with all of my Heart. He’s taken me to the valley more often than I care to count, and when I’ve Trusted Him and stepped out of His way, He’s taken me back to the mountaintop and I’ve soared like never before. The Bible says “But he who has been forgiven little, loves little.” I don’t just love a little, appreciate a little, live a little, preach a little, give a little, or serve a little all because I’ll never forget what my Mighty God has forgiven me of and how He has transformed a “wretch like me” into a humble Vessel in His Name. He truly does have “the whole world in His hands” so I’ll Trust Him every step of the way. Rain or shine. Warm or cold. Ups and downs. Good or “bad”.

How about you?