Your Choice
This time of the year is great for taking the backroads. Wildflowers are blooming, fields are green. I love riding along and taking in the scenery but it’s tough to see it all when I’m the one driving.
One morning I took an opportunity to make a short trip and was in awe of the hills and valleys that neighbor my town. Some of the hay fields have really benefited from the recent rain and are a vibrant green while the cedars on the hills surrounding them are a strong emerald in contrast.
As I drove along I also noticed homes that were for sale the last time I was there now being filled with furniture. New life. New hope for the future. Another property shows the remnants left from the destruction of a raging fire.
Along the road there are many things to take in from behind the wheel...sadness, destruction and emptiness on one side, beauty, life and light on the other.
I caught myself taking in the desolation left from what was once a home. A home likely filled with life; possibly even love and joy. Sitting there now there seems to be shock, sadness and horror from the embers that jumped across the home destroying everything in its path. The stillness and sadness pull me in while I'm driving past. I shake my eyes free from my fixed gaze that's glued to the devastation and try to focus on the road ahead; thankful there isn’t any traffic or obstacles hindering my slow and winding trek.
An opening in the treeline opposite of the depressing ruins caught my peripheral and I turned my head to take in the full beauty of the picturesque view that played out for the rest of my journey. Gorgeous hills filled with varied shades of greens and golds with a quiet and quaint little town nestled at the base. The sun was gently caressing the tops of the tiny homes and reminded me of “sleepy little town”. This had to be the type of scene that prompted that saying. It looked sleepy. Any movement that was happening there must have been very slow because I didn’t witness any at all.
As I made my way back home I realized that I had a choice as to what I wanted to see on my route. Did I want to set my eyes on the sadness that the left side gave me, or take in the beauty that lie along the right side of my journey?
The morning had already been filled with so much joy I decided to focus on the right side and was glad I did. I saw reminders of families I knew were struggling and I prayed for them, as well as the ones I passed that I knew were enjoying a time of blessing and I prayed for them too. As I thought of them, I also lifted praise and thanksgiving for the joy in their lives and that gave me joy in return.
Pulling into my driveway I was glad to be back home. It was a short trip with a big lesson. I realized the importance of how I choose to look at things. As I go through my day, I can choose to focus on the things that drag me down or the ones that bring me joy. And even though they’re both there right in front of me, it’s up to me to decide. I can focus on the things that need my attention and choose to let them pull me down or handle them with a good attitude.
Later, when my husband called just to check in, and asked what I had planned for the day I replied, “Oh, just getting some laundry started” and he said, “That sounds like fun.” I replied, “It is!”-It’s all in what I make of it.
Today, I’m deciding to enjoy the task of making our clothes clean and I’m grateful for the ability to do so.
You can choose too. Take the path that gives the least resistance or endure the bumpy one because it brings you joy. I choose joy, bumps and all.
James 1:2 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
