Instead, as we grow wiser, we begin to experience an increasing number of obstacles. This often takes my mind back to school days. When I was younger, I enjoyed learning, primarily because I picked up the lessons quickly and got to spend my days socializing with school friends. As I grew up, that perspective began to shift because more was expected of me.

I’m reminded of the many times over the years I’ve heard people stress the importance of knowing the difference between joy and happiness. I must admit, for a long time, I was one of those who thought of the two interchangeably.

...I couldn’t help but notice the most  beautiful canvas in front of me. I often feel that when it comes to beauty, we simply can’t beat God’s creation and the display we see in nature. The view of these clouds was so stunning, it really did look like a painting.

Regardless, I was really excited about my new items. Until I got them. The shoes didn’t fit quite right and a few of the sweaters had a different look and feel in my hands compared to how they appeared on screen. Needless to say, I felt remorse...

Little did I know that the experiences I encountered in my work were actually preparing me for a shift in God’s realm. We don’t always look at our life experience that way.

Our spiritual self needs sustenance as well. If I truly want a cup that is not only full of what God supplies, but is overflowing, then I need to trust him to purge me of the things that don’t belong. There needs to be room to receive a full cup in order to experience the overflow that I don’t have room to receive.

Truth is, something we all have to come to terms with is that our past is something that we lack the ability to change. It truly is something we can consider out of our control.

That saying The grass looks greener on the other side didn’t come from nowhere...

You may pick up pieces of multiple conversations, but committing to any of the dialog is a challenge since we can’t efficiently divide our attention.

...we each have to take responsibility for our choice.

Scary things happen in the dark. To escape, light is needed...

...that’s how our minds operate. At times, there are things we WANT to forget and our minds just won’t let it go. 

Those are the moments we face when we need our tribe the most because, often, those hard times can be very isolating.

...I understand that if I begin to slack off then my muscles begin to lose strength.

You mean that mountain can move just by me speaking to it?

Distractions. Notice how I said they seem to come only when I want to put my sole focus and attention on something.

...although there is no quick fix to these daily struggles, the one thing we can be sure to cling to in perilous times is our faith.

If we exercise and do some toning every day, then we see and feel the results when we start to slack off.

Missing something now and again does not make you a bad Christian. It doesn't mean you've abandoned your walk with God...

I did have the time. The issue was that I was using it for something that wasn’t doing me any good.