Tag Archives: The way the truth the life

When you’ve reached a dead end

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There are dead-end roads, dead-end relationships, dead-end jobs, dead-end ambitions and dreams.

 

Have you ever reached a ‘dead-end’ in the road to life? Maybe the sign was knocked down and you didn’t see it. Or maybe you suspected (and others warned) that it was a dead-end but you thought you’d take your chances anyway. Still, it’s frustrating, especially if you’ve gone down a long and difficult path only to discover there is no way out. You might think, “What a waste of time and energy! What am I going to do now? I’m lost!”

 

For sure there are dead ends we should try to avoid. They’re painful, dangerous, frightening, and costly. It’s said we recognize our mistakes when we make them again. Better that we learn from them the first time.

 

But not all dead ends can be avoided.  Sometimes it was easy to see my cancer journey as a dead-end. It could have been…literally. But even retracing my steps out of the situation seemed like a dead-end: all the money lost on medical bills, all the pain, the heartache others felt, the lost productivity, the lost strength, the delayed dreams and ambitions. If you’ve been down a dead-end road, you know the list goes on.

 

I heard someone say recently, “It’s not a dead-end if it takes you somewhere you need to go.” In other words, sometimes dead ends provide experience and insight we wouldn’t have obtained any other way.  Instead of dwelling on the disappointment, we can look at what we’ve learned on the journey. Yes, we reached the end of a path and had to retrace our steps, but what did we find that we didn’t have before?  Often it’s learning a lesson we learned a long time ago:

  • Life’s really about love and being faithful.
  • There are some things no one can take away from you: your choice to believe, your choice to trust, your choice to love, your choice to be hope.
  • Your circumstances don’t define who you are; your choices do that.
  • It’s better to be better than bitter.
  • Your heart can see what your eyes don’t.
  • Faith makes things possible, not easy, but possible.
  • Be thankful for the moment you have…it is all you have right now.
  • We often hear better when we’re quiet for a while.
  • Cherish the ones you love today. You don’t know how long you have.
  • Encouraging others usually encourages you.
  • It is always the right time to do the right thing.
  • What you see IS what you get. Choose the right lenses for your life.
  • YOU are not God. HE is.
  • God’s Word is really true. Believe it. Act like you believe it.
  • Focus on faith, hope, and love.

 

There is a way out of dead-end roads. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6  Let Him help you get on with your worthwhile journey!

 

 

Which Path?

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imageSpeaking of choosing new paths for a healthier life (see yesterday’s post), my sister Jane sent this photo from her hike in the Franklin Mountains. The sign gives a choice between taking the “more difficult” path to the right, or the “most difficult” path to the left. Jane observes, “I am reminded that the ‘easy’ path is not always an option, but our choice (our response) determines just how difficult the road ahead will be.”

What are the paths you’ve chosen to renew your mind daily? This is key to having victory over circumstances. We all know that the path of denial doesn’t work, and that the power of positive thinking, while helpful, doesn’t take us the whole distance.

Our personal experience is that meditating on the Word of God and talking with Him frequently is the only way that has brought us true renewal. New ways of thinking and responding to our circumstances have to become habitual. Even then, there will be struggles. This last week has been increasingly challenging for me, even at home. More tired, I push hard to walk 1/4 of what I did in the hospital and 60 days of gastrointestinal distress is taking its toll.

But when we take our eyes off our problems and focus instead on Jesus, our problems don’t take control.

I can’t imagine going through this cancer experience without enjoying a personal relationship with a loving God and the power He gives for victorious living throughout the storms life brings.

Even if you don’t know God or aren’t sure He exists, He welcomes your fellowship. Tell Him exactly how you feel. (Guess what…He already knows!) Whatever your position right now, the path to a renewing relationship is right before you. Whether it is “more difficult” or “most difficult,” walking with God is the best path you could choose. Even if you have walked a thousand steps away from God, it is just one step back to His loving arms.

Make good choices today!

“I am the way, the turth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me.” – Jesus, John 14:6

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Hebrews 12:1-3