Learning From the Past

I Walked a Mile With Pleasure

by Robert Browning Hamilton

I walked a mile with Pleasure,
She chattered all the way;

But left me none the wiser,

For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow
And ne'er a word said she;

But, oh, the things I learned from her

When Sorrow walked with me!

Thinking back over my life and all the many things that have happened and that I've experienced, I truly have to say that I've grown more and learned more through the trying and hard times than I have in all the really fun and exciting times in my life. It's during the hard and sad times that I have had to draw closer to the Lord and to go inward more and really examine myself and my motives. These times are never "fun" by no means. In fact, if we were asked, I'm sure there isn't a person alive if given the choice, would choose sad or hard times for their lives. We avoid them like the plague! Who wouldn't choose fun and happy experiences over sad and hard ones? Yet why is it that we grow to be better persons and learn so much more through those hard times? On the other hand, we all treasure and hold onto the happy and fun things that we've experienced and treasure them as good memories, to revisit over and over again throughout our lives. Like a hidden treasure or precious gem, we cradle them and protect them and unwrap them whenever we want to or need to. But if we're really honest with ourselves, it's those really bad times that we look back on as learning experiences and times of real personal growth. Someone once said that it's the really bad storms that make a tree put down it's deepest roots that give it strength to withstand future storms. It's also been said that "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger". All wise words and very true.

Lord, help me to learn from the sad and hard times so that I'll grow to be a stronger person.