By Brenda Cannon Henley
I cannot think of one single person that I know and love that has not had a major disappointment in life. It may have been due to his or her specific choices, or it may be that the people they surround themselves with in life have been detrimental. And, in some cases, I am convinced that we will never know for certain what caused the disappointment to happen. God uses different people, different circumstances, and different times to help to mold and make us to be the image He desires us to be. We may, at first, not even know we are heading for a heartache or fall, but if we can remember that God knows all, we can not only live to survive, but live to thrive. Happiness may sometimes seem illusive, but it is there.

The secret I believe is learning to trust Almighty God, our Creator, and Guide through life. When bad or unpleasant things happen to us, we don’t just throw in the towel and give up the battle. We pray, we seek good counseling, we do the next right thing, and wait until God gives the all clear for our lives to proceed. And I must add in all fairness here that sometimes God takes us in the direction we thought we would go, but sometimes, it is a far different path chosen for our journey.

The Apostle Paul compares our lives as a race and we must pursue the goal every day. There are times when this is easier said than done, but when we stumble and fall, it is usually because we have taken our eyes from the end goal and the prize waiting for us. Psalm 19:5, Ecclesiastes 9:11,1 Corinthians 9:24, and Hebrews 12:1 all remind us of this comparison. I especially like Hebrews 12:1 where we are instructed, “Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily beset us, and let us run the race that is set before us.”

We are all in our own race. You cannot run mine, nor can I run yours. These races are all individual. Just as a skilled and well trained runner must work out his own schedule, eat what is good for his body, practice daily, and then run the course as best he can on the important race day, we must strive to do the same. I have interviewed many runners over the years and they all tell me that winning the trophy is important, but that it is most important for them to better their old time and set a new mark which is called a PR or a PB (personal record or personal best). Many leave the race site without the No. 1 or 2 division trophy, but with smiles on their faces because they ran better than they did the last time.

Where are we today on our courses? Are we happily trying to do better each day or are we sad and alone because the course did not turn out like we hoped? So what if your boyfriend or girlfriend broke up with you? You can live and look at the experience of one of my dear friends on the beach recently, she has found happiness she never dreamed of after this exact scene happened. Another friend of mine lost a job that she thought was perfect for her and her family, only to get another that is much more suitable, and it pays more money. When our children disappoint us and act goofy, let’s remember that God is still working on them – and us, too, for that matter.

Stay on the course and trust God. He knows what is best and He really does want His children to be happy in life. Pleasant running today and let’s keep our eye on the big prize.

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at (409) 781-8788, or
[email protected]

[This is a repost of an article first published on 10-26-2015]