The yellow road of weeds

I love it when it's sunny on my yellow road of dreams! 

When the flowers bloom cheerily...and the only bugs in the garden are beneficial insects...when it rains twice a week so I don't have to drag the water hose all over the yard...when the humidity is low and the mosquitoes are few...when I'm full of energy and enjoy bouncing outside every morning to pull weeds when they're tiny...to prune and tend God's beautiful garden...and share jelly jars of flowers to brighten someone's day...that's perfect...it's ideal...but what if it doesn't happen like that! 

What if my yellow road of dreams is full of weeds?  Life is never perfect.  But sometimes it seems that the yellow road has a lot more weeds than dreams!  Our summer has been like that...distractions from our routine...viruses in early summer for Chuck and me...the death of Chuck's brother and the sadness that followed...people in our church family with serious illness, bronchitis that I'm just now getting over.  I look around and see all the things that I usually do that haven't been done.  It's easy to feel overwhelmed...when life slows me down...and the weeds keep growing.  What's the best way to deal with it?

Count your blessings even if you're standing in a weed patch!  I was actually standing in a weed patch when I took this picture!!  Unfortunately,  the weeds are growing all over our beautiful labyrinth in our backyard.  The rock paths are hardly visible from under the weeds.

Life is like that.  Difficulties and disappointment that come to all of us.  Even when it's hard to see the path for the weeds...remember it's still there...and you're not alone on your journey.  God is with each and every one of us, in spite of our circumstances. 

A thankful heart is the secret.  When we focus on being thankful for all the good things in our lives...our thinking shifts.  We see things from God's perspective...a perspective of hope!  

Imagine your dream...orderly and complete...then...calmly start pulling weeds!!  Take your time...your on a journey...setting things right can be an enjoyable process if you focus on the solution instead of the problem.  And you know what?  Whether my weeds are on the labyrinth or in my head... it doesn't take nearly as much time to make things beautiful again as I thought it would.  Keep your hopes alive...and you'll soon discover your dream again...right where it was all along!

The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you."-- Psalm 32:8 NLT