Life is like this...don't you think?

"Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken"

 ~ Author Unknown

Just when you get used to the warm weather, 

another cold front makes it's way through.

And when I say cold, I mean COOOLD!  Biting cold.

Just when you think everything is running smoothly,

*BADA-BOOM*... a bump in the road.

Just when you think you've got a handle on things,

plans change. Health wanes. Children go rogue.

Life is like this, don't you think? It's part of the human experience.

Yet unexpected twists and turns are what keep the story alive.

One day they love you, the next you're their target.  

One day a situation is chillax and under control, 

the next day chaos reigns. 

One day you feel like you're on top of the world, 

the next day you feel like it's crashing down on you. 

Circumstances are always in flux,

but how we choose to perceive these experiences 

can make all the difference.

God says we can build our "house" on the sand 

or we can build it on The Rock. 

When our "house" is built on the sand, 

then the winds and the rain can tear it down. 

When our "house" is built on The Rock, 

then it's sturdy and strong and the storms can't destroy it.

I like to think of our "house" as our emotional stability.

When our emotional stability is built on the sand, 

that means our sense of well-being is based on 

fleeting things and passing moods.

One disappointing conversation and we crumble - 

one fierce trial and the house falls down.  

When our emotional stability is built on The Rock - 
we're depending on God.

 I never used to do so well with the unexpected.

Fear of the unknown was a burden to say the least.

I had what I like to call "white knuckle syndrome,"
holding on so tight,

 desperately trying to control each outcome,

as if I ever could.

I'm learning and RE-learning what it means to let go.

I've come to embrace and even relish the understanding

that TRUE surrender means giving up attachment to results.

That no matter how it plays out...good, bad or indifferent...

that you know that you KNOW that you are going to be ok,

and even if everything falls apart, 

being confident that HE WILL do something NEW, 

and that HE will use every last detail 
to bring us into HIS sweet sweet presence.

On a side note, 

don't these flowers on my apple tree personify SPRING?

And to think that only a week ago, this tree was just a skeleton.

Stripped bare from a season of wintery cold.

A few days later, tiny green leaves pushed their way 

through dormant branches.

And now, fragrant soft petals screaming "LIFE!" have emerged.

As surely as the sun rises, the fruit isn't far behind.

*smile*

Life is like this...don't you think?