At the end of a journey...

Everyone says that cliche saying "everything happens for a reason". You've heard it right? I literally hear it on a daily basis and today was no exception. 

My life has taken a few unexpected turns lately. Some good things. Some not so good things. But at the end of every day, I am confident in knowing that everything happens for a reason. And! On top of that little biggest of truth, God's plan is happening!

Good things, bad things, or somewhere in between, everyone wonders why. Why did this happen? Why is my life not like I thought it would be? Why is this person severely ill? Why did Leonardo DiCaprio not win an Oscar AGAIN this year? Why is there hunger in the world? 

All of these are valid questions, but the frustrating part is the not knowing. The hard thing to deal with is that we may never get an answer! 

Everything is part of God's plan. Every single thing that happens or is said. Everything happens on purpose FOR a purpose. 

So when life deals you an unfair hand once in a while, is it fair to whine about it? Is it productive to vent about it to anyone who will listen? Is it representative of the Christ-reflecting life we are supposed to be living to become spiteful or angry or hateful because life isn't going "according to plan"?

No. 

I am guilty of this. We all are. 

It's hard to trust that, at the end of a long day when nothing seemed to be going right, that God's hands are right there. God's hands are in the thick of battle with you, because whatever is making your life path a little rocky, is because He allowed it to be so. 

Think of it this way. I am NOT a hiker. I am a "big kid" who is not in shape enough to enjoy hiking, but every once in a while, the mood will strike! So, the adventure begins! I'll wander around Red Rock canyon or Mount Charleston or wherever, and sometimes, because I'm super awesome, I'll get lost. I will wander off the beaten path because I'm not paying enough attention, and end up somewhere I never intended on going. But you know what, sweet reader?

I have seen some of God's most beautiful creations when I've wandered off the beaten path. 

The terrain may be tougher. The hills may get steeper. And Heaven knows, the blood, sweat and tears may be rolling. 

But it's just like life. 

Sometimes the best things in life are at the end of a long, tough but, in the end worthwhile, journey. 

Those are my thoughts today.