Happy?

I have often heard it said, that to enjoy climbing mountains you must be an optimist with poor memory. So you always think things are going to work out well and forget all the painfull times and times things havn't worked out well. I think this can relate to how we live our lives. The human body is designed to forget pain. Try recalling and recreating exactly how the most excruciating pain you have ever felt felt. If you're anything like me or most others, you will remember that you never want to feel it again, but not the exact pain. Walking up hills is like this. Each step might hurt at times, but once you get to the top the pain drifts into a distant memory. The view and reward of reaching the top, of overcoming the pain and of enjoying natures beauty consumes you.

I wish to live my life like this, relishing the moments of joy and learning from but moving on from the moments of pain. Ive been reflecting lately on just how good life is at the moment. I am blessed truly by God. I have a wonderful caring family, awesome mates, a beautiful country where I can escape and enjoy God's creation, an amazing girlfriend, a body designed by God that works well, the freedom to worship God and perhaps most importantly every day I seem to be drawing closer to God.

I think reflecting on this has made me realise two things. Firstly right now I need to live life and love others as if I have never been hurt before, as if I have never been through the painful times before. Just relish the absolute joy and leap headfirst into living with it. Secondly that painful times, hard experiences will keep coming, but I just need to fight through them, trust in God and learn from them. The pain will fade eventually. God wants us to work through and learn so we can experience his joy and peace and love. Just like climbing that hill, the thousands of painful steps and searing lungs fade into oblivion as I admire the view from the top.