What if you had a second chance at life? Would you make the same choices or mistakes you made before? I believe we all make the best decisions we can, given the information and resources we have at the time. But, what if you knew everything that was going to happen, after the fact? Sort of like "Hindsight is 20/20?" I do believe that then, we might just take a different path. For most of us, that would mean the shortest, less painful path to happiness. But is that really the BEST path for us? Isn't there lessons to be learned when going through painful and exhausting times? No Gain without Pain, Right?
I believe there are little treasures along the path of loneliness, pain, grief, rejection, and confusion. They are little "diamonds in the rough" you could say. One must look for them carefully, otherwise they are easy to miss. "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5 (NIV) Therefore, collect for yourselves sapphires of strength, pearls of perseverance, emeralds of empathy, and the diamond of hope, aka "hope diamond." The "hope diamond" is the most precious of all "character gems", because without it life can be meaningless and despairing. How can one stand the test of time and trial without it? You must be asking yourself right about now, "Can't I just skip getting all those little gems and just go for the Diamond of Hope?" No, no you can not. You can not "Go past Go and Collect $200". You can not skip a step or go straight to the end because there is training and lessons along the way that must be learned. One can't be a novice at Karate and expect to have a black belt the same day. Each trial, each pain along this journey called life is preparing you for the next step. Be patient therefore friends, because someday you will have a treasure chest full of gems that you have earned, rightfully so, and that no one can take from you. Use those gems to bless others, so that they too can know the HOPE to which you have.
~Lori~
