The Mountain Ahead

The other day I was out with a stranger (you know, as I do) and we were talking about our lives, our passions, etc. As this person talked I noticed that they described their life in terms of dates. When I mentioned this to him, he paused, and then replied, "I do talk in terms of dates. You talk in terms of blessings."
_______________________

If you are just joining the story, the last year of my life has been a doozy. Here is the run-down:

A year ago my husband started the process of leaving our marriage

11 months ago he left me and I moved from Arizona to Georgia.

10 months ago I unjustly lost my job.

9-7 months ago I struggled with the divorce, the job loss, etc. and also worked at a pizza restaurant. The pizza was delicious. Oh and I lived in my parents' basement. It was glamorous.

6 months ago I started a new job.

5 months ago divorce papers were finalized.

3 months ago I randomly applied to a job in Dallas, Texas.

1 month ago I quit my job in Georgia, moved to another new state, got an apartment, started a new job, and did a few hoots and hollers of absolute joy.

1 day ago I got some unfortunate news about an issue with my health.

Yea. It's been a hell of a year.

Living these past few weeks in a new city I have had plenty of opportunities to meet new people, introduce myself, and tell them pieces of my story. It is a beautiful thing to discover who you think you are by what and how you choose to present yourself. Continually I find myself integrating the painful chapters into the story I present. The darkness now serves to magnify the light. My story is not defined by chapters of sadness, but by the resulting blessings and joy.

When someone says, "Wow, you have a really positive outlook on life."

 I can say, "Yea, that's because I have seen the valley and know the beauty and brightness of the light."

My story has so many threads that weave together to make me who I am, and the blessings of my life have significance because of their permanence in rough waters. They say you find out who your friends are when things get rough. I think I have also found out who my God is. Every good and beautiful thing reflects to me the depth of His love. My God isn't tangible. I can't see Him. I can't be held by Him. But He has manifested Himself through the blessings by which I mark my life.

Now I am about to climb another mountain.
Does it suck? Absolutely.
Will it be fun? Nope.
But am I anxious and stressed?

Not.
One.
Bit.

Weird, right?

The fact is, I've been to hell already. I walked in darkness for a long time and my God and my friends never abandoned me. So as I face the unknown of this new challenge I begin the climb honestly overwhelmed with peace.

There is such a difference in this mountain.
I have no doubt that I will overcome it.
I have no question about my strength to handle it.

Despite the challenges I have been through and the ones ahead, I continue to be the happiest I have been since college. I have a joy that isn't from avoidance of facts, but from an unwavering faith that all will be well.

I believe in miracles. And I will ask and beg for them, but all the while knowing that everything will be ok no matter how God chooses to see me through this.

I believe in the good things coming. Its been a hell of a year. And it might be a hell of a few months ahead. But I love my job, my apartment, my city, my dog (:D), and I know nothing will shake me.

I've never felt more joy. And this new mountain? Well I am simply going to conquer the damn thing.




Comments

  1. UnknownMay 21, 2018 at 6:42 PM

    Proud of you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMay 23, 2018 at 2:35 PM

    Yeah you are! To conquering another challenge! You remind me of Romans 5:3-5!

    ReplyDelete

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