Raging Rivers

You can find a free download link for this poster on my Printables page.

We often hear the term - life is a journey and the joy is not found in the destination, but in the journey itself.

That's easy enough said, but harder to accomplish than just saying it.  I don't know a single person who DOESN'T want joy to be a part of their life... every. single. day.  We all want that, don't we?

This has been a week full of hard things for me.  I've struggled to find the joy in my journey, but as I look back on my week, I find that there was joy there... mingled in with the not-so-good stuff.

We find ourselves on our paths, criss-crossing our way through mortality, meeting old and new friends along the way.  But there are times we find hazards in our path.  Boulders, speed bumps, and debris that halt our progress.  At times, we may even find ourselves at the bank of a raging river that MUST be crossed if we are to move forward on our path.  That raging river will represent something different for each of us.  It could be a chronic illness, a death in the family, marital problems, a wayward child, unemployment, an addiction, a mental illness, caring for an elderly parent or sick child.  The list is endless because what may seem an insurmountable obstacle for one person may not be so for someone else.

Some are strong and will find a way to cross the river by their own ingenuity and strong will.  Some will ask others standing on the bank beside them to help.  They might work together to find a way across.  Others might call across the river and ask for assistance from someone who has already made it to the other side to help guide them over or through it.  There is also the group that will seek to find a detour, walking right or left, along the bank of the river to find a new path.  Some will choose to turn around and go back the way they came, regressing and undoing all of the progress they have made to get to that point.  There are even those whom the river claims for itself.  And finally, there are those who simply choose to sit down at the bank and give up, wallowing in their misfortune.

That raging river is adversity.

We all find ourselves at the bank of that river at one time or another.  Sometimes our trials will be small, like the boulders, debris, or speed bumps.  Other times, our trials are so large, they feel like that raging river.  I have had to cross that river more than once in my life and I'm sure I will find myself there again before my journey is through.

The first thing we notice about that river when we approach is how big it seems.  It can be terrifying.  It might seem daunting.  It can be a dark, rolling, churning place.  It may even seem quite lonely.  It will require patience and perseverance.  You all know what I'm talking about.  Every single person on this earth has experienced it.  Our mortality won't let us escape it.  But there is one other thing about it.  It is temporary.  And no matter what adversity we face, it is still our choice as to how we will approach it and how or if we overcome it.  It is a personal choice.  We will have voices all around giving us advice on how we should cross or IF we should cross.  But the decision can only be ours.

So how do we find the courage to get across that raging river so we can move forward?  It isn't easy.  If it were meant to be easy, there would be a bridge there for us to use.  But we would just cross over on the bridge and not appreciate how difficult it was to overcome it.  We would lose the experience gained by problem solving or waiting our turn for an expert to assist us.  We learn to have faith in those experts and their experience and how to trust their advice.  We learn patience.  We learn to have compassion for others also trying to get across.  We learn, after we have successfully battled our way to the other side, that we can do it.  It builds our confidence to help others across.  It gives us the strength to face the next river with less fear.  We learn something from each block in our path.  If we get past it, we grow and progress a little more.  But each hurdle requires a choice... we can (a) overcome it and move forward, (b) stop and neither progress nor regress, or (c) go back.  We might even choose (b) and (c) before we finally discover (a) is the best option.  

So the next time you get to the bank of YOUR river, I want you to ask yourself - "Am I going to give up, quit, and stop progressing or am I going to fight my way to the other side and move forward in my life?"  I hope you choose to fight.

Just remember... adversity is temporary.  Even if your river claims your life (cancer, for example), remember that this mortal life is a temporary state, a time for learning.  A time for us to prove what we are made of.  The next life is the reward we seek.  And as Elaine Cannon so rightly stated, "When we are pushed, stung, defeated, embarrassed, hurt, rejected, tormented, forgotten - when we are in agony of spirit crying out 'why me?' we are in a position to learn something."  Whatever you do, at least try your very best to get over that river and you'll be okay.  :)http://www.scribd.com/gwiltbank