The Journey We’re On

The other day I did an activity in one of the small groups I participate in at church. The instructions were to draw a circle with a path going both forward from it and backward. The circle represented the present and the path was the past and future. We filled the circle with the names of people who support us and then added places, people, and events that were significant along the “past” part of the path. We also added obstacles to represent hardships or struggles that we went through. The “future” path was for showing our hopes and dreams. I didn’t get to finish the activity but working on it really got me thinking. I tend to live mostly in the present, not thinking back much on the past and hardly ever thinking about the future. But I found that thinking about my past made me appreciate how far I’ve come and see how the trials and obstacles I overcame (with God’s help) have made me stronger. God gave me the strength when I needed it and then that strength stayed with me. I also realized that looking ahead can be good to. Not so you will worry about what might happen but to make sure your on the path that leads to God. If you don’t look up sometimes you might run into something or veer off the path.



This activity also got me thinking about how grateful I am to be where I am and to remember all of my prayers that have been answered. Then I thought about all of the things I never had to pray for and that made me even more grateful. Like the scripture says, “for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). Just like the lilies and sparrows are provided for, how much more will God provide for us children. And when you count your blessings you quickly see how much they outnumber your needs.