…our Journey

As I began to think about my writing today, I wondered through the pages of my mind. What story was I going to tell you? I know some of my readers look forward to stories about their ancestors and the generations before them. Some like to look at the old pictures that accompany the writings. Some look forward to the simple reading of short stories. Then I began to think about life in general and the journey that you and I are on….the journey of life.

I began to think about my own life’s journey….where I’ve been….what I’ve done…who I’ve been with….and where I’m going. I was abruptly reminded in my spirit….A journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a first step. Some of you, as I often do, wonder what is the journey? Where are you going? What will you do with your life? Truthfully, those are some challenging questions for a lot of us today. And not just today, but people have been asking those questions for many years. I’m certain my father, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, husband, all of those who have gone before me asked the same questions we ask today.

On days that I am challenged with these type questions as well as the issues of life  that always seem to get in the way, I try to remember and dwell on my life long bible verse, Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ….and as you read on to verses 12-14a … Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.  If we just take a moment and think about those verses we will begin to rejoice and see things in a different light. And you know as well as I do …..we have to do this over and over again….Not because we have to remind God, but because we have to keep reminding ourselves….He does have a plan.

This reminds me of a simple story I read one day and I have never forgotten it. Of course there are days that I do forget….but truly it is in the back of my mind. Today I was once again reminded of it and now I want to share it with you.

The Farmer’s Donkey

One day a farmer’s donkey fell into a dry well. The animal cried pitifully for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do for his poor donkey. Finally, he concluded that the well was too deep, and it really needed to be covered up; besides the donkey was old and it would be a lot of trouble to get him out of the deep pit. The farmer decided that it was not worth trying to retrieve the animal so he asked his neighbors to help him fill in the well and bury the donkey.

They all grabbed shovels and began to toss dirt into the well. The donkey immediately realized what was happening and he began to weep horribly. But then all of a sudden he got real quiet…. A few shovel loads of dirt later, the farmer looked down the well, astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit the donkey’s back the donkey would shake it off, and step on top of it.

As the neighbor’s and farmer continued to shovel dirt on top of the donkey, he would continue to shake it off, and take a step up. Pretty soon the donkey shook off the last shovel full of dirt, took a step up, and walked right out of the well.

                                                ….Unknown Author

You see when we are looking for answers… looking for direction, if we just take a step up we may be surprised where we might land.

For me personally there have been many things in my life that have set me back. And I am here to tell you I have not understood most of what has happened to me….sexual child abuse, the loss of my first love because my parents were against it, childhood pregnancy, marriage separation, divorces, the death of my late husband, the death of my father and all my grandparents at an early age….so many heart related things….and the list could go on and on. At the time these things happened to me, I didn’t think I would be able to bear the pain or the loss. But through it all, somehow, I survived. The journey changed! Yet through the pain, some of my greatest weaknesses have become my greatest strength.  I am no longer the same person that I was years ago and I am no longer the same person today that I was yesterday. And, I know I am still not the person God intends for me to be…. I am still under construction!  And you can be sure of one thing…. God doesn’t make junk! We are made in His image!

So now when I stop and ask the question, “Why?”…  “Why me?”…  I hear the words come back to me as….”Why not you?” It’s all part of the plan…. the plan God has for me. Oh I’m sure I have taken some wrong turns, made some wrong decisions and even gone around a few mountains more than once. But I do believe God will get me back on course if I take the step. Sure, I still have many questions….and trust me, I am anxiously waiting for the answers.

Each of us is on a journey… yet a different journey… our own journey.  During the course, we all have our challenges. And I’m sure we even stop and ask our own question, “Why?”  But God has the ultimate plan. So when you are down or uncertain…. take a step up. Remember the farmer’s donkey, he could have stood still in the well and been buried alive….yet the idea came to him to step up…and then he stepped out! The world around him was amazed! Can you see it? The world around him was not interested in his survival. They were to busy filling up the hole….doing only what was asked of them… nothing more… nothing less.

A journey of a 1,000 miles starts with the first step. Think about this….the doors to a grocery store will not open until WE take the first step on to the mat in front of it. We take the step and the door will open! God is there to direct our steps, but we have to be willing to take it…step it out. If we take the wrong step, He will get us back on course… (Jeremiah 29: 11-14a). And as we step out, we will amaze all of those around us!

This article is dedicated to all of those who are struggling with life issues.

 

 I offer my services to write memoirs and life stories of you and your loved ones. It’s as simple as sitting on a front porch sharing story after story about your life and your loved ones as you relax in a rocking chair, chattering away about what you know best….your loved ones.

Please continue to read my blog  http://rockingchairchatter.com and be sure to keep a watch for my new website  http://www.myfrontporchfriends.com/ as we continue to write our stories.

Enjoyed the chat,

Lorraine

Lorraine McFarland lives in Plant City, Florida. She is a professional writer specializing in memoirs, life story writing, and capturing memories of your loved ones.

Copyright, April 2011 by Lorraine McFarland. The author retains sole copyright to her contributions to this article.

Life Stories