The Bumps Are What We Grow On

Have you ever wanted something so much that you could almost taste it? Have you anticipated and planned for an event ... only to have it fall through? How do you deal with disappointment? (written 11 July 07)

I wish sometimes that I had a better handle on my emotions. The smallest thing can sometimes give me the emotional equivalent of a train wreck. Why, you ask, am I even saying these things? Because I have grown! My past is littered with emotional scars. There are those who will turn up their noses and think "baggage" ... but nothing could be further from the truth. Each scar has its own story, and I am not unique in that. It is not the scars, it is how we deal with them, and what we learn from them that makes us grow.

Think of one thing that you know, without question, absolutely to be true. We can probably all think of multiple things: I KNOW that my children love me, I KNOW that my mom loves me, I KNOW that I am not always going to get what I want, nor will I always get what I may be positively certain that I "need". What else do I KNOW?

I KNOW, without question, that God will never ever leave me nor forsake me. Even when I have "left" myself ... when my faith wavers, and those emotional waves are battering me endlessly, GOD IS ALWAYS HERE. With his strength surrounding me, I am better able to face emotional waves without sinking. God is not "floaties"; God is a life preserver. Tears may fall and hearts may bend painfully .. but my God is an awesome God and he will dry my tears and nurture my bruised heart. Remember: the bumps are what we grow on!

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." ~Joshua 1:9 NIV