I am beginning to realize that life with God is easier than we think. That’s part of the reason we find it difficult. We make it more difficult by relying on our own minds and hearts to guide us. Our minds can take us anywhere if we aren’t careful..so many of our own thoughts are contrary to the mind of God.
And of course there are our feelings..they may be even worse. If we allow our feelings to direct our steps..we are in big trouble. The only safe road is the one where we realize that God is in total control ..as we step out, He guides us to the next step. Our own thoughts and feelings are incidental. Now this doesn’t mean they aren’t important.. they are , but they are not the way we discover the abundant life.
We are made to feel deeply and to think through things.. God can work through our thoughts and feelings to give us wisdom and insights. Ultimately we need to bring these to Him and allow Him to show us which are valuable and which lead to destruction. It sounds complicated but it isn’t. The key is continually turning to Him with all of it.. all the time. Asking for wisdom, asking for guidance, releasing our cares and worries and trusting in His goodness. He is not hidden and His plan for us is not impossible to discover. He wants to lead us, to guide us, and to bless us.
His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not ours..we were created to need Him every minute of every day. He is our Father in Heaven who desires to come close to us and fill our days with His presence. He waits for us to seek Him, to depend on Him, and to trust that He will always be there for us.
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
Alicia's Roses 
I like what you said about our thoughts and feelings: “not the way we discover the abundant life.” I agree that they have a place, just not the leading role!
Wise words in your post.
Blessings ~ Wendy
Thanks for your words..” not the leading role!” What a great way of putting it Wendy.. Blessings to you!!
Alicia
Again, I needed to hear this Alicia. I do wonder if God chooses those who are troubled in some way to prove to the world that He CAN heal and He CAN transform even the seemingly most hopeless cases. I feel like a hopeless case at the best of times but I am learning to see through the eyes of faith and not through my emotions as it were.
You wrote: ‘If we allow our feelings to direct our steps..we are in big trouble.@ It is so so easy to be guided by emotions and feelings and so seemingly hard to let go, like Luke Skywalker and ‘feel the Force!’ We all need to ‘feel the Force’ all around us!
I believe that God does use those who are weak and troubled because when He restores us.. we know who did it and we can proclaim His goodness to those around us. We are His trophies.. created to display His handiwork in this very dark world. Our part is lean heavily on His goodness and mercy as we walk with Him and minister to others.