There are constants in life and there are everchanging moments that take us by surprise. The stars shine and the sun rises every day without us pausing to think anything of it. In the area of appreciating the natural beauty of life we often grow complacent and uninterested. We fail to remember the natural beauties of existence, the everyday moments that can bring more joy to our lives. It is when we take the time to remember the miracles of daily life, the fact that existence holds so much beauty within, that we gain perspective and take a moment to rest and appreciate all the artistry that surrounds us. That is what helps to sustain us and carry us through this walk of life with a joyful heart.
What goes before us and what comes against us is nothing compared to what is within us. The road you face in this life will be challenging and will be filled with highs and lows, moments filled with joy and moments filled with despair. The road you may have walked before this moment was likely not an easy one, and that’s okay. Through every trial you grow stronger, through every test you learn, through every challenge you face boldness is discovered. Regardless of what you may have done or what you may have said in the past you are held of no less worth than anybody else around you. Look up to the mountains and see who has climbed them before you. Take inspiration from the journeys of others around you and the mountains that they have conquered, the same is possible in your own life. Gain stories of hope from the journey of others, find it within yourself. Live out your story in a beautiful way and you will find a beautiful life. Reach into your own story and find boldness, then live in that. Reach into your story and find heart, where you have made it through the tough times, and live in that. The journey so far has made you only stronger and will continue to do so.
Walk:
You were born into this generation for this time and purpose. From the moment you entered the world you have the fullness of life to an extent: thrills and spills, joy and sorrow, laughter and tears. It was not an accident that you were born at the time you were to the family you were, it all came together that way for a reason. It was appointed for you to be here to experience every moment that you have and to walk through every season that you have encountered. Nothing has occurred by accident in your life.
You will be shaped here through this journey on earth to become all that you were made to be. Every experience that you encounter will teach you and grow you if you look in further and find the meaning deep within every lesson and within everything that comes your way. Life will batter your soul heavily some days and in those times you will learn to grasp a hope that is unshakeable, that never fades away. You will learn to let go of that which hurts you and to embrace that which grows you. You may not understand the direction where you are currently heading, you may not understand the place where you are standing right now. Rest here in this moment and just take time to breathe. Your life is not defined by how busy you are but the condition in which you live your life, not externally but internally. Your life is not defined by the good and the bad but by the identity which cannot be shaken from within you; an identity of love and acceptance and beauty. You may not see it yourself there but everything that you look to the world for is already within you. Take some time to discover it for yourself, you will find it eventually.
Your soul may have found itself in a cage, barricaded from the noise and the hurt of the world, or so you like to think. The world hurts people, but it also grows them. The world pulls us down, so we learn to stand up. The world takes away, so we learn to hold that which doesn’t fade. Unlock your soul and guard your heart. Encouragement from others and from yourself gradually begins to wear down the lock. Can I ask you a favour though? Unlock it yourself. Don’t wait for it to wear down from years and years of others encouraging you, learn to encourage yourself. Learn to gain confidence in yourself. Look to what is within you and dig down deep to find the joy. You are not alone on this journey and there is good within your heart that will make a positive difference in this world. Use what is already within you to unlock the cage that surrounds you and let the dreams, the hopes, the joy, and the positive thoughts fly. Let them visit the parts of the world that need your dreams, let your thoughts fly and visit the homes that need your joy, the friends that need your hope. Your life will spread and make a difference in ways that you haven’t imagined when you step into freedom.
Your life is not a checklist but a great adventure. Don’t settle for mediocre in things that you accomplish, don’t settle in being average with who you are. Take great strides toward that which you dream of. Breathe deeply, laugh heartily, live expectantly. Don’t settle into just walking with a complacent attitude, be expectant. This life will not endure forever with no consequences for how you live so run the race ahead of you with joy rather than pride, with selflessness rather than selfishness and with honesty rather than lies. Live your life with an open heart, a free mind, an unconstrained soul. Live without barriers. Live an open honest life filled with integrity and filled with respect for yourself and others. Don’t be afraid to climb big mountains, walk through deep valleys and to encounter storms along the way. What tests you the most will turn your setback into a comeback. If you encounter a joy and a peace that goes beyond understanding while walking through a storm you will have found the foundation for your life. if you hit rock bottom it is only to discover that there is a solid rock at the bottom and to discover that you will never fall beyond reach. You will not walk out the way you walked in, you will be changed for the better. Let yourself become stronger, wiser and more expectant for greater things to come as you continue to walk daily through this life.
The key to every season of life is to keep walking through it and to just looking up whilst you are walking. You don’t have to be defined by every season of your life but I encourage you to learn lessons from each season that you walk through and to take those lessons and mold them into something you can use to develop into who you are becoming. Let your experiences mold you and shape you into the unique being that you are. You cannot be defined by any one thing you have done wrong or by any one thing you have said but somewhere along the way these have shaped your life. A decision that you once made may have led to a number of amazing opportunities or it may have led you to facing strenuous consequences. One thing that you have may done in the past could have then shaped the next path that you walked down, whether straight or curved, whether filled with darkness or filled with light.
The mistakes you made in the past do not have to define who you are now. The mistakes that you made in a moment do not have to have a hold on you permanently. Though you once lived in foolish ways you have gained wisdom along the way. If not, this is the time for you. Start on a journey of discovering wisdom by reaching out to others around you for support and guidance. I encourage you to rest for a moment, to take some time to breathe and then to begin a journey in a new direction, different to where you have come from. I encourage you to reach out and discover a life that promises hope and light, it is there for you to pursue. You are welcome to walk in the light, no matter what your life has looked like so far.
Greater things to come:
Your life holds more potential and promise than you could have dreamed of for yourself. Your life holds dreams, questions, answers, promises, hope, love and light. When you take a leap and step up onto the rise of a mountain you will be incredibly surprised at just how many steps you can continue taking to climb up that. When you are getting ready to fall there will be a part of you that holds on with an ounce of strength that you didn’t know you lay within you. There is a certain beauty to life that we haven’t understood yet. Every drop of rain holds the promise of sunshine. Every time you fall you unlock the power to stand up. Every time you make a mistake you experience grace in rising back to your feet. While there are hardships and trials there will always be strength that will keep you going.