Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I met with the Living God surrounded by beauty and all I seemed to be able to do was give thanks. No search for answers. No plea for mercy. Not even a whole lot of time in His Word. Just Gratitude for it all. The flags on the front porch fly most days and through all kinds of weather. Every once in a while I see that they’ve gotten tangled up on a rough edge and beaten up on the journey. I often find them clinging to the rough edges that frayed them in the first place and it’s not always easy to release them…and so it is with the Journey of Faith. I can’t fly freely or do what I was Designed to do if I allow myself to cling to any rough edges that have the potential to cause me harm…nor should I hold onto those things that caused “damage” in my life. I can easily release a flag from the rough edges as surely as God can Release me from mine…IF I let Him….and when I do, there’s nothing more Bold and Beautiful than my Life flying for all the world to see. Isn’t that the way you look at your Journey too?

Life happens to all of us. There are ups and downs, heartache and heartbreak, tragedy and death, sickness and health, and everything in between. We all get beat up along the way just like this old flag did…nobody flies forever without hitting a few rough edges. It’s the good AND the “bad” that defines a Life and it’s how we look at the rough edges that define character and Faith. Some people seem to cling to those rough edges as if they want to be sure they never forget…and even though they don’t see it that way…the rough edges define them. Though the wind blows to bring in the new season, and though it wouldn’t take much to let go of the rough edges to fly freely again, plenty of people would rather hold on than let go.

Some people let go of those rough edges as fast as they can but before you know it they get tangled up again in the very same way! They let go but they rushed the whole process and did nothing to repair the damage brought on by the rough edges. So, they’ll continue to be vulnerable in exactly the same place until they face the fray. The rough edges will always be a part of life – unless you mend the damage that was done the last time you got snagged by them, you’ll get caught up every time you fly by the rough edge. When we hit the rough edges and endure a little “damage” in the process we have a choice; we can remain torn and vulnerable OR we can take action to be sure that we don’t get hurt in the same spot over and over again. Unless we repair the Heart Damage, we will ALWAYS be subject to the same rough edges and we’ll repeat the same painful pattern until we do.

The flags on the porch take a beating and they eventually succumb to the rough edges. They begin to fray and before you know it they’ll hit that rough edge and get caught up all over again until they are released. The damage gets worse each time they pass the rough edges and eventually they’ll get replaced. Had I taken the time to mend flags, they could keep flying freely to share their beauty for all the world to see for a very long time. What’s true for the flag, is true for my Life too. I know I’ll hit rough edges for as long as I have breath in my body, but unlike the flag that could have used a little mending from me, I’ll turn to my Heavenly Mender. I’ll be Focused on the Flawless One…the One Ready to mend my Heart and give me Wisdom so that I never hit the same rough edge again. I’M FREE!

How about you?