"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance...."-Romans 5:3
Today as I was walking out of my office building to my parking spot and the light sprinkles of rain bounced off my raincoat, I thought just how blessed I was that some pretty neat windows had opened for me in the past year (yes normally the analogy is doors, but stick with me). Please do not think at this point I am trying to be conceited or boastful because that is not the case. I certainly hope that those are two words are words that one would never use to describe me. Because quite personally when I think about the opening of a few of these windows, each were a part of an extremely long journey of countless uphill miles and battling snowstorms...(get it walked uphill both ways in a snowstorm...cheesy I know)
For some reason, my office is extremely hot and I do enjoy opening my windows any chance I get. So this morning the windows were opened so I could enjoy the fresh air and hear the rain drops as they fell from the sky. This afternoon upon returning from a meeting, a pack of crackers that had been taken out of my lunch box and placed on my window sill had become the final destination of a group of hiking ants on Ricks Trail (Ricks Hall). How could a pack of crackers placed on my window sill two stories up have attracted millions of these tiny little creatures?? Okay maybe not millions, but more than a few. They must have an incredible sense of smell or the head ant somehow yelled down from the peak to the others.
"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."-Isaiah 40:31
To a tiny ant, the journey to climb two stories in the rain must have seemed like a daunting task! (Sometimes, the stairs in the building seem like a daunting task to me!) Needless to say, these ants were greeted with a frantic scream (I HATE ANTS) and then a blast of ant spray from one of my co-workers. Surely, some of the ants were able to enjoy the tiny hole in my crackers that allowed them to feed on the delicious peanut butter that was supposed to be my snack while others were hit with ant spray and managed to escape back down the side of the building but without grace AND sorry to all of my ant lover friends, some were not very lucky.
As I think about the ant's journey to pass through my open window, it's very similar to our "hikes" in life that lead us to pass through opened windows or doors. There will be times when we feel that the hike to the peanut butter is too far and unreachable. Other times, it will seem that we are enjoying life and on the right path, but we end up getting sprayed, and somehow manage to regroup and continue moving forward, and other times we will get sprayed and defeated. The key is to keep moving forward after all a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Then one rainy day, soft sprinkles will remind us that while we may have had a few setbacks and been defeated at times, God's blessings are abundant and patience and faith in the end ultimately always win! There will be windows that open for us and even though there will always be the possibility of being defeated, it should not keep us from venturing through that opening. Openings can turn into blessings with the help of faith and His guidance.
"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." -Romans 12:12
Tonight as I say my prayers, I will be sure to thank God for opening windows that allow me to experience unbelievable opportunities. However, I will also seek His guidance on those opportunities because ultimately His path is the one that I want my footsteps to follow. I pray that your openings will be windows of opportunities filled with blessings as well!
Hope everyone was able to enjoy the extra hour of sleep this weekend! As always, thank you so much for reading my blog. It really means a lot that you take the time out of your busy day to support my blogging:)
Faith.... patience... love! ~Joy
Today as I was walking out of my office building to my parking spot and the light sprinkles of rain bounced off my raincoat, I thought just how blessed I was that some pretty neat windows had opened for me in the past year (yes normally the analogy is doors, but stick with me). Please do not think at this point I am trying to be conceited or boastful because that is not the case. I certainly hope that those are two words are words that one would never use to describe me. Because quite personally when I think about the opening of a few of these windows, each were a part of an extremely long journey of countless uphill miles and battling snowstorms...(get it walked uphill both ways in a snowstorm...cheesy I know)
For some reason, my office is extremely hot and I do enjoy opening my windows any chance I get. So this morning the windows were opened so I could enjoy the fresh air and hear the rain drops as they fell from the sky. This afternoon upon returning from a meeting, a pack of crackers that had been taken out of my lunch box and placed on my window sill had become the final destination of a group of hiking ants on Ricks Trail (Ricks Hall). How could a pack of crackers placed on my window sill two stories up have attracted millions of these tiny little creatures?? Okay maybe not millions, but more than a few. They must have an incredible sense of smell or the head ant somehow yelled down from the peak to the others.
"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."-Isaiah 40:31
To a tiny ant, the journey to climb two stories in the rain must have seemed like a daunting task! (Sometimes, the stairs in the building seem like a daunting task to me!) Needless to say, these ants were greeted with a frantic scream (I HATE ANTS) and then a blast of ant spray from one of my co-workers. Surely, some of the ants were able to enjoy the tiny hole in my crackers that allowed them to feed on the delicious peanut butter that was supposed to be my snack while others were hit with ant spray and managed to escape back down the side of the building but without grace AND sorry to all of my ant lover friends, some were not very lucky.
As I think about the ant's journey to pass through my open window, it's very similar to our "hikes" in life that lead us to pass through opened windows or doors. There will be times when we feel that the hike to the peanut butter is too far and unreachable. Other times, it will seem that we are enjoying life and on the right path, but we end up getting sprayed, and somehow manage to regroup and continue moving forward, and other times we will get sprayed and defeated. The key is to keep moving forward after all a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Then one rainy day, soft sprinkles will remind us that while we may have had a few setbacks and been defeated at times, God's blessings are abundant and patience and faith in the end ultimately always win! There will be windows that open for us and even though there will always be the possibility of being defeated, it should not keep us from venturing through that opening. Openings can turn into blessings with the help of faith and His guidance.
"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." -Romans 12:12
Tonight as I say my prayers, I will be sure to thank God for opening windows that allow me to experience unbelievable opportunities. However, I will also seek His guidance on those opportunities because ultimately His path is the one that I want my footsteps to follow. I pray that your openings will be windows of opportunities filled with blessings as well!
Hope everyone was able to enjoy the extra hour of sleep this weekend! As always, thank you so much for reading my blog. It really means a lot that you take the time out of your busy day to support my blogging:)
Faith.... patience... love! ~Joy