Enjoy it [life] while you can.  Seize every scrap of legitimate happiness, but remember…life is not a picnic.  There are tears in things.”
–William F. Sangster

“God loves the very anatomy of a journey, not for the sake of perpetual motion, but for the sake of guidance and restoration the Spirit brings along the way.”
–Jill Carattini

“You may have noticed that life is no picnic; this is especially true when you find yourself in a wilderness.  So far the trail has been relatively clear and has been easy to follow.  Be careful, however, of becoming complacent.
Maybe you are struggling as the trail moves up the side of a mountain.  The trail moves back and forth between huge boulders, and then through thick forests of evergreen.  Even though the trail seems to be clearly marked it is rugged.
This brings to mind a painting by Fred Deaver, “A Heap of Trouble.”  An old frontiersman was making his way along a wilderness trail.  There were steep walls of rock to one side and on the other a deep gorge.  The trail he was traveling was narrow and he had to be careful of his footing.  He looks up and around the curve comes a grizzly bear–a heap of trouble.  Be alert!  If your wilderness consists of climbing a mountain, watch your footing; but also keep your eyes peeled for what may be coming around the next bend.”  (taken from Trails in the Wilderness)

It seems to be apparent that far too many concentrate on the term “happiness.”  I have heard numerous parents and friends say concerning a relationship, “as long as it makes her/him happy.”  No, no, my friend!  Happiness is not the end.  The end is truth, following God’s trail, and finding eternal life.  Happiness here may prove to be an illusion.  Happiness, or so-called happiness, here may prove to be the trail to eternal damnation. 
The trail to heaven is often hard to find for it is narrow.  That trail, once it is found, is often full of temptations, full of obstacles, full of its share of weariness.  It may not be happy, but the person who travels it has a joy unspeakable deep within their soul.
Walk softly, walk carefully for the enemy of your soul will seek to get you off the heavenly trail.  It may be through the temptation of an “easier way.”  It may be an obstacle that brings havoc to your mind.  It may be a “bear” waiting around the bend to which there seems no way to get around.  Trust in God, for He is the One who has guided you along the trail.

“So I came today to the spring, and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now You will make my journey on which I go successful.”
–Genesis 24:42 (NASB)

Money makes the rules we have to live by;
A home is just a place to send the bills…”
–Merle Haggard

     “My heart can sing when I pause to remember
      A heartache here is but a stepping stone
      Along a path that’s winding always upward
      This troubled world is not my final home.”
                –Stuart Hamblen

Home?  What is it?  Is it a particular place, or the thought in a person’s mind?  Is it just a place to send the bills, or is it more than that?
Sure, much of what a home is has to do with perspective.  Men of the frontier, men of the west might say, “Home is where I put my hat”.  And there would be truth to that, for to them home was not a particular abode.  I do think that women need a place–a home–despite the ramblings of those “pink hat” folk out there. 
However, there is a danger of permanency.  Some people don’t like to move.  Some get settled in one spot and say this is my home and I’ll not leave.  The reason I say it is a danger is that this world is not our home.  Christians should have the attitude that I’ll be here a little while, I’ll make the best of the place where I’m at, but it is not my home; at least not my final home.
It is nice to come home.  When a man has been on the job all day, it is nice to come home, but is it a place?  There is an old saying, “Home is where the heart is,” and I think there is much truth there.  In this temporal world, where is your heart?  I’ll ask again, where is your heart?  It is not wrong to think of home being family–wife and kids.  Our heart should be with them and it should be a joy to come home to them.  Hmmm, but what if the wife is not home?  What if she is out working?  Where then is the heart?  Where then does the affection go?
One more thought, and again I’ll ask, where is your heart?  Do you ever think of your heavenly home and long for it?  Perhaps we get home confused with “stuff”.  We think of a nice house and all that is in it as our home.  That also is dangerous thinking.  Our treasures, our “stuff” is to be laid up in heaven.  Say, that is also to be our home; our home for eternity.  “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passin’ through…and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”
Maybe it is just me getting older that I think a little differently about home.  Nope, I’ve always had these sort of views.  But getting older does present a different perspective.  Guess, since I’ve went on about home/houses I should close with some more words by Stuart Hamblen.
    
          “This old house is getting shaky, This old house is getting old.
           This old house lets in the rain and This old house lets in the cold.
           On my knees I’m getting chilly, But I feel no fear or pain.
           Cause I see an angel peeking through, A broken window pane.

               Ain’t gonna need this house no longer, Ain’t gonna need this house no more.
               Ain’t got time to fix the shingles, Ain’t got time to fix the floor.
               Ain’t got time to oil the hinges, Nor to mend the window pane.
               Ain’t gonna need this house no longer, I’m getting ready to meet the saints.”

Think of some of the valuable gifts left to you by your family.  I’ve pondered this some, and come to realize that one of the most valuable gifts, maybe it could be rated the most valuable was given to me by watching the lives of my Grandma and my Aunt.  They taught me the importance of trusting in the Lord.  It is not a difficult task when we understand who He is.

          “Come, ev’ry soul by sin oppressed,
           There’s mercy with the Lord,
           And He will surely give you rest
           By trusting in His word.”
                     –J.H. Stockton

Of course the first area of trust is to understand that He is.  There is a God who sent His only begotten Son to die for my sin and the sins of humans everywhere and in every century.  Salvation is the first area then of trust.  The second is that God’s Word is authoritative, accurate, inspired, and infallible.  Not hard, simple trust.

          “For Jesus shed His precious blood,
           Rich blessings to bestow;
           Plunge now into the crimson flood
           That washes white as snow.”

Once that is settled the rest was easy for my simple brain.  Just trust Him.  No matter the situation–trust Him.  No matter the life choice–trust Him.  No matter the challenge–trust Him.  Life, careers, people can be fallible and cause disruption to one’s life.  Trust in Jesus; He’ll never fail.

          “Yes, Jesus is the Truth, the Way,
           That leads you into rest;
           Believe in Him without delay,
           And you are fully blest.

           Come, then, and join this holy band,
           And on to glory go,
           To dwell in that celestial land,
           Where joys immortal flow.”

Growing up, I watched them.  They lived lives of simple trust.  I have tried to do the same.  Maybe it has been easy for me since I am so simple to begin with, but I have based my life on the person of Jesus Christ and the truth of His word.  As my wife and I enter a new journey in life I have no fears for I trust Him. 
I recall, many years ago when they had the lottery for the draft back in the days of Vietnam.  One of the people in the dayroom watching their number get called broke down in tears.  I looked at him sort of stupefied, for I didn’t think that Christians would act that way.  I was always taught that God was in charge of my life.  I didn’t necessarily want to go to Vietnam, but at the same time I figured that if God could not take care of me there, then He couldn’t take care of me crossing the street either.

                    “Only trust Him, only trust Him,
                     Only trust Him now;
                     He will save you, He will save you,
                     He will save you now.”

The chorus of this grand old hymn should be one of those that is etched deep in our heart and mind.  Whatever life brings your way–“only trust Him.”

Knowledge is the illumination we receive that makes ignorance disappear.”
–Clement of Alexandria

“In the realization of the nearness of our God we shall find strength for all He is calling us to do.”
–G. Campbell Morgan

Once in a while I do some real pondering. Believe it or not it is true. Sometimes it causes be to scratch my head and look around in wonder. I was doing a little study last week, and though I pondered this thought before, it came upon me again. Thoughts can be rascally. 
Before I go on with my thought I want to set this question before you. Why is it so hard for us to trust God to rule in every area of our lives? There may be several answers but I want to give you one to ponder; let your mind do some working; it might need some exercise. I think it is because we are afraid we won’t like the trail He has chosen for us?
“Ah, ah, wait a minute,” I’m reading your brain waves. We have free will and we can do as we please. And I will answer, “Yes, absolutely”. However, are we not to totally give ourselves unto the Lord? Are we not the “temple of the Holy Ghost”? Are we not to be a “living sacrifice”? I have noticed that in the last several years the most often quoted and most often used Scripture among people, especially young people is found in Jeremiah. Yep, you got it.

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” (1:9,HCSB)

“‘For I know the plans I have for you’—this is the Lord’s declaration—’plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'” (29:11, HCSB)

Look first at 1:9; God is speaking to Jeremiah. Jeremiah was to be a prophet and this was proclaimed from the womb. Wow! But I know of many people out there who said that God told them when their son was in the womb that he would be a great minister and the son turned out to be a bum. Ponder that! Look at the verse in chapter 29. There are several things here, but one is the fact that God has plans for our welfare, not for our disaster. That plan was Jesus Christ. With Him and only through Him is there a future and a hope.
These verses are not proclamations that you will become rich, famous and successful (in the eyes of the world). Many have turned these verses into a self-proclaiming prophecy–a false prophecy I might add. If we really believe those verses, then it would be okay for God to plan a life of drudgery working as a hamburger flipper, or cleaning the aisles at a department store. Does He not know what we need? Does He not look to “give us a future and a hope”?The problem is that many Christians do not want to walk in agreement with the Holy Spirit.