Thoughts of a Sojourner

Yes, I know, this is an odd title for a blog post, but bear with me and it will make sense! As Teresa and I were talking a week or so ago about how we should look at life and how the Lord brought us together and allowed us to fall in love with one another, we discussed how so many people live life with a pessimistic view and can never be joyful and embrace life because they live in what we coined “The Land of What If’s and What Could Have Been’s”. Full disclosure, I came up with the Land of the What If’s part and Teresa came up with the Land of What Could of Been and I told her then I was going to store those phrases in my memory bank..lol. The sad thing is that so many people cannot embrace life currently and look forward to what God has in store because the get stuck in these two lands. The inability for some to escape these two lands can stem from a lot of things. This inability may come from a past where mistakes were made, past losses, current life struggles, fear concerning the unknown of the future or simply not standing on our faith in a God that forgives our past, orchestrates our life currently and has what’s best for us in our future (Jeremiah 29:11). We all are probably guilty of dwelling on mistakes in our past and fear how those mistakes can affect our future. Understand, that God offers and grants forgiveness and sets us free (John 8:36). An unwillingness to bask in the forgiveness and freedom offered will invariably cause us to be held captive by the “what if’s and what could have been’s”. Another reason for remaining captive in these lands due to our past many times is because sometimes those that claim to love and care about us will not let you forget your past. First, people that do that really don’t love anything like Christ and know nothing of grace. Secondly, most of those same folks desire your company in their misery as they dwell in these two lands. My advice: Do not listen to those voices and if necessary separate from them and do not give them a voice in your life. God designed us to embrace the life he has granted us currently and the life He has in store for us. As we approach life, if we all the what if’s or what could have been’s to dominate our thinking, we will miss so much joy in our life and fail to embrace life in its fullness. When I think of my own life, this time last year I sojourned in these lands due not necessarily to past mistakes, but due to loss. I wondered if I could ever be happy again, find joy in life again and embrace life again. I wondered if I would live life alone my remaining years, if I would ever know true love again and I feared in some ways what others would think if it turned out that I would rediscover these things again. What if I found joy again? What if I found happiness? What if I truly begin again to embrace life to the fullest? What if I fell in love and rediscovered true love again? What if others were not pleased with me and judged me harshly? These were all questions that I wrestled with during those days! Around this time last year, my church gave me a 6 week sabbatical (by the way this is something after experiencing it that I feel ever church should grant their pastor annually…the refreshing of the soul for this pastor was medicine to the soul). It was during that 6 weeks, that I began this journey to where I am today. As I unplugged from teaching and began to devour scripture and took a lot of time to reflect on life, I began to pray and ask the Lord to help me rediscover these things and God was faithful, as He always is, to answer my prayer. I started on a journey to embrace life today and look to the future with joy and anticipation for what He had in store for me. He awakened me to the fact that I was blessed beyond measure. He reminded me that I had two precious daughters that needed their daddy to be happy and joyful. He reminded me that I had two precious grandchildren that needed their Pops to be happy and joyful. He reminded me that He had blessed me with a precious church family that loved me and needed their pastor to be a leader filled with happiness and joy to lead them. I started to embrace life and small things that bring us joy. Things such as a sunrise, a sunset, a mountain stream, the songs of birds in the morning light, watching a garden grow and yes even a flock of DIVA chickens (Ha!). As the months rocked on and I begin to rediscover these things I still was missing that rediscovery of true love and someone to share life’s journey with so continued to earnestly pray for the Lord’s will in this area. And guess what? Yes! As it turns out, God was yet again faithful in this area! 10 weeks ago, I asked a beautiful lady named Teresa out and out of that first date, God has helped me rediscover true love. I cannot explain the joy and happiness that falling in love has rekindled in my life. To love again and be loved, is the height of joy in this earthly life. I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for Teresa and our own story of love and life together in the future. As I think on those “what if” questions I listed earlier in this post, I am over the moon with joy, happiness and thankfulness how God has guided my life since last year from a Land of What If and What Could Have Been to The Land of Joy, Love and Happiness & The Land of What Will Be. I can’t wait to see what the future holds where my girls and grands are concerned as I proudly watch them live their lives and I can’t wait to embrace the future of what is and what will be the love story and life of Keith and Teresa! If you are reading this and you are sojourning in the What if’s and What Could Have Been’s, I would encourage you to understand that you have so much to find joy in where life is concerned. I assure you, if you will seek the Lord in prayer, lean on the promises of His word and begin to be intentional about approaching life with a positive attitude and embrace the freedom that is found in the Lord, you can find your way to the “The Land of Joy, Love and Happiness & The Land of What Will Be”!