When all you know is what you feel and all you feel is pain, life can be very challenging to say the least. You do everything you can to cope. You pray and focus on anything other than “the” thing.

Life is unpredictable. It is filled with surprises that make us smile and disappointments and heartaches that pierce us through the core. We cannot expect that life is going to be easy or pleasant.

The Proverbs say it very well: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” Wisdom comes from God.

There is one thing about me that is undeniable and that is that I like things neat and tidy.

Winemakers will tell you the best wines come from grapes and vines that struggle and suffer.

The storms in life blow in and out without warning in a random fashion that keep us on our toes.

Pain and suffering has the power to frustrate our self-sufficiency, but realizing we are not in control is also one of suffering’s biggest blessings. 

Life is fundamentally unpredictable, and so we cannot be certain about what is going to happen next. And although uncertainty is, in a sense, a blessing in it allows for freedom and change, at the same time, it can feel like a curse.

Embrace Your Valley

 One of my all-time favorite comediennes is Gilda Radner, known best for her years as one of the original players on Saturday Night Live.

It boggles my mind and leaves me scratching my head when I hear of some of the “valley” stories that people share. One of those stories was shared with me by a very close friend of mine many years ago.

My my deepest longing and desire is to experience the abundant life—Christ’s Life—everyday and in every circumstance. This life is what Jesus called “the narrow way,” which few find.

I’ve talked about depression and anxiety a lot maybe more than any other topic over the course of my ministry and the reason is because it’s a huge problem for people; Christians and Non-Christians.