Since it would appear that everyone gets “off course” periodically, maybe our focus should be, not only on what is required to stay on course, but also, on what is required to regain control when we have wandered from the course.  Sometimes it’s just a matter of minor course corrections.  Sometimes it means completely redefining the confusion of existence.  

Our journey in life seldom follows a straight, uncomplicated course from beginning to end.  At best, it is usually circuitous in nature, often stopping and starting, sometimes without direction, sometimes without hope.  Sometimes it almost seems overwhelming.  In an effort to make sense out of the confusion, maybe we need to start with an old French proverb: “Everything passes; everything wears out; everything breaks.” In other words, nothing, either good or bad, ever remains the same.  But maybe it’s not supposed to; maybe life is what is. 

 If that’s true, then our job is not to run from life or to see it as the enemy,

 but rather, it is to reframe it in a manner that allows us to manage it more effectively.

Jean-Paul Sartre wrote: “Life begins on the other side of despair.”  From this it would appear that the process of working through pain and sadness actually provides the necessary motivation to move from the position of victim to victor.  And that without this foundation, we would never develop the essential insight and depth required to rise above where we’ve been.  In essence, risks must be evaluated and taken, even though the possibility of failure exists; rules must be made and followed, even though they don’t cover everything; plans must be developed and implemented, even though they have to be revised; and promises must be made and kept, even though it may be difficult to do so.  These basic building blocks, although imperfect and incomplete, are the requirements for a new beginning.  But they are only the beginning.

The reality is that risks often result in pain; and rules, plans, and promises are often broken or      forgotten.  And since there is a tendency for everything to become disorganized, the only real      security that exists must come from within.  For as the philosopher Montaigne wrote:

“To be disciplined from within, where all is permissible, where all is concealed, that is the point.”

Real security only results when a well-defined philosophy of life is combined with the strength of commitment and dedication.  In this manner, we are able to move to a higher level of growth and insight.  Unfortunately, this process doesn’t happen quickly or completely, but with sufficient time and effort, a new path may be recognized and implemented.  And while this process can be difficult and frustrating, our old patterns do not have to remain as they have been!

James Russell Lowell wrote: “Not failure, but low aim, is the crime.” When this quote is applied to changing thoughts and behaviors, it would appear that unless we are committed to a higher level of functioning, it is still possible to sabotage ourselves; we tend to settle for less than what we are capable of. We need to ask ourselves: “What are realistic expectations, what are we really capable of, and what are we willing to settle for?”  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that we cannot afford to settle for old, self-defeating patterns!  Our destiny, whether we realize it or not, is far greater than any old, and incorrect perceptions.  

With this in mind, as we begin to discover what life isn’t, we begin to discover that change is a difficult process.  Yes, difficult, but not impossible.  It all depends on our level of purpose and commitment.   

Helen Keller wrote: “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.  They must be felt with the heart (end quote).”  But unfortunately, our lives are often filled with stories untold and songs unsung; with love not shared and praise not received; with strengths not developed and hope not instilled; with choices unchosen and decisions unmade; with roads not traveled, and dreams unrealized.  But these patterns do not have to remain as they have been established.  We can make new choices.  We can dream new dreams.  And to choose is to begin.

Earl Nightingale wrote: “Each of us is where we really want to be” (end quote).  Apparently, that applies not only to those who are winners, but also to those who are not.  So, regardless of the excuses we make, if we don’t have what we say we really want, then we probably don’t really want it bad enough.  We must be willing to pay the price, and it is never too late to begin.  In order to create a new future, we must be willing to begin now.  And as we do so, we will become more of who we really want to be.

With this in mind, Theodore Roosevelt put it very well when he wrote: “The credit belongs to the man who is in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Welcome to mortality!  These are tough times, and our commitment and battles can be won.  To change is often difficult and complicated; both in wars and in life.  And our commitments often follow a circuitous path, but once again, anything worth having is worth the battle.  An important concept is that tough times don’t last.  Tough people do!  And even with the devastation of the storms of life, it’s important to remember that storms create strengths.

Orsen F. Whitney taught:  No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted.  It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility.  All that we suffer, and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our character, purifies our heart, expands our soul, and makes us more tender and charitable….and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we came here to acquire (end quote).

The poet, Becky Hemsley wrote the following piece of poetry:

You never know when someone may catch a dream from you. 

You never know when a little word or something you may do, 

May open up the windows of a mind that seeks the light.

The way you live may not matter at all….But you never know, it might.

So just in case it could be that another’s life, through you,

Might possibly change for the better with a broader and brighter view,

It seems it might be worth a try at pointing the way to the right.

Of course, it may not matter at all….But then again, it might.

Becky Hemsley also wrote: We are not here to live life in half measures.  

I agree with Becky Hemsley’s philosophy of life.  Coping with life, managing life, and being of service to others who need a little extra motivation seems to fit in to our lives on earth.  Literally, we need to stay focused on where we are and what we’re doing.  And we can’t afford to settle for what is simply within our reach.  To do so would be a terrible tactical error.  Apparently, we were not created to simply coast through life.  For me, what this means is that one of the greatest messages of hope is that Jesus Christ has made it possible for us to succeed.       

Hope is believing that we’ll grow stronger than the unfairness or challenges in life, and that our lives are inter-related.  Hope is believing that in spite of our imperfections, there’s a purpose to life, and that we’re going to be OK.  Hope is believing that our decisions and choices will shape our destiny, and that in spite of our mistakes, we’re not done yet.  With this kind of hope, how can we fail?  Without this kind of hope, how can we succeed? 

Life is full of battles that can be confusing and uncertain; battles against uncertainty and anxiety; battles against unworthiness and depression; battles that are some of the necessary steps that will prepare us for Eternity.  It’s almost as if I can hear the Savior and His legions of Angels echoing the words: Don’t give up, you’re not alone.  In fact, we are repeatedly reminded of the Savior’s love for us.  And when we consider the Savior’s statement, “I am with you forever.”  It reminds us of our commitment to Jesus Christ.

Undoubtedly, we aren’t going to manage our lives perfectly, or completely, or gracefully, but as we follow the Savior, any emptiness inside of us will be filled.  He is the Way. Since our goal is to be more Christ-like, by living our lives by persuasion and meekness, by love unfeigned, by kindness and pure knowledge, without hypocrisy, and with out guile, we need to practice living our lives by gentleness and meekness, by persuasion and long-suffering, by love unfeigned, by kindness and pure knowledge, without hypocrisy and without guile; forgiving those who may have hurt us, and understanding that we, too, can be forgiven.  All this is possible, not because of who we are, but because of who God is.