Without Dark There Is No Light

You ever wake up in the morning, and ask yourself “How did I get here?”  It may sound like a rhetorical question, but I assure you, it is one of the most valid questions you will ever ask yourself.  Think about it.  How did you get here?  And now that you are here, is this where you want to stay?  Or is there somewhere else that you would rather be?  All of these questions shouldn’t be pushed aside.  There is a reason these thoughts creep in our minds.  By nature, we are all curious.  Regardless of how bad or how great we have it, we will always wonder about other possibilities.  This curiosity can be punishing; however, when handled properly, it can be kind.  Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in our current situation that we forget about how we even got there.  What we don’t realize is “getting there” is actually more important than “being there.”  Is it not safe to assume that the path to “there” is what defined that moment?  This has to be nothing less than true.  How come people who have it all, feel like they are empty and need more?  How come people who have nothing can be some of the most content and happy people we know?  Two separate questions with the same exact answer – their paths dictate their outcomes.  As children we are taught to treat people the way we would like to be treated, and as adults we do our best to forget we were ever taught manners.  We are reminded that we don’t know it all, when things don’t go our way.  We plead, cry, and beg for forgiveness and for the strength to persevere when times get hard – we’ve all done it.  When times are great, our confidence is at an all-time high.  We don’t give thanks when great things happen to us because we deserve those things.  More importantly, we are too blinded by our jubilance to realize that this great moment is merely a gift, and not a promise.  Treat others the way we want to be treated, right?  Well, if we are having a fantastic life, why can’t we share a lit bit of that with someone who isn’t?  Why is it when we are miserable, we do our best to share our misery with others?  You ever notice how easy it is for people to judge others?  That happens because those people don’t understand the significance of a rainy day.  Bad and good may be polar opposites, but they define each other and always will.  Bad creates good and vice versa.  Now, I may not be the most spiritual person, but I am certain there are many messages in the bible that suggest all men (and women for the super literal folks) will be judged by their deeds.  We need to understand that we only get one chance at this thing called life.  How we spend our time here supersedes what our end product is destined to be.  Remember, there are always shortcuts to the goal; the path is what is important.