When our children were young, their grandmother gave them the book, “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”, by Michael Rosen. Reading this story became a favorite part of their birthday parties each year.
As the family in the book searches for the bear, they encounter obstacles on their journey; “long, wavy grass”, “a deep, cold river”, “thick, oozy mud”, “a big dark forest”, “a swirling whirling snowstorm”, and “a narrow gloomy cave”. They cannot avoid these things and, as they approach each obstacle, they exclaim, “We can’t go over it. We can’t go under it. Oh no! We’ve got to go through it!”
I think of my journey as “going on a life hunt.” Many of us seek a meaningful life, but how do we begin?
In our search for a life of height, depth, and breadth we must go through the hard stuff. We cannot avoid certain experiences, such as illness, catastrophe, and loss, yet other experiences require us to choose a path. The rocky ones often include difficult choices yet eventually lead to fulfillment. With God, we are not alone. We don’t need to be afraid. Facing challenges and practicing spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, leads to opportunities for learning and growth and new life in Christ.
I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
Bread for the Journey 