Never Alone

I want to dedicate my very first blog to a friend from high school whom I recently reconnected with on Facebook. A talented blogger herself, Angie is the one who encouraged me to pursue this venture. Thanks for the nudge!

I am one with a deep desire for learning...be it from books, from people, or from experience. There are many teachers in life: parents, siblings, friends, educators, clergy, mentors, spouses, children, media. The list is endless. So many forces in our environment are capable of impacting our lives in tangible ways.

The end of each day finds everyone in an altered state from when we first swung our feet over the edge of our beds in the morning hours. Some days our lives are enhanced and enriched by personal triumphs and achievement. Other days we find ourselves diminished and depleted from the challenges and disappointments of the daily grind.

The experiences are there...every day...faithful to their task of building and refining our character. Some learning experiences are planned and pursued, with a desired result in mind. Other lessons come unannounced--out of nowhere--and shake us at the very core of our being. Each incident we encounter is different and unique; and so is our response to them. We gladly accept and embrace the positive things that come our way. We reluctantly bear the blows of sorrow and heartache and dismay. So the cycle goes, day after day, month after month, year after year.

I have come to know and understand that we all remain students of life as long as we have breath in our being. With each day, our lives proceed through a loop of continual change. The good things in life serve to launch and propel us forward with renewed purpose and vision. The difficult things cause us to search out and rely on a strength greater than ourselves to sustain us.

It is a common saying that life is a journey. I can say with sure conviction, the greatest lesson I have ever learned is that I am not expected to walk this journey alone. There is One who has come alongside me, sharing both the weight of my burdens and the fullness of my joy. He strengthens me through my times of weakness, and equips me for certain success. When things are pressing in all around me, causing me fear and distress--He is there. When I stand on the mountaintop and celebrate my victories--He is there. When I lay awake at night and wonder what tomorrow holds--He is there. When I ask myself what's the one thing I want everyone to understand, it is this--He is there!