A Rugged Life

My husband and I watched the movie Rugged Gold. The true story of a socialite who married an Alaskan miner. During one of the big Alaskan earthquakes, she was separated from her family and forced to survive the harsh winter, alone on an isolated island, injured and pregnant.

After the movie, I mentioned how well she handled all of her struggles.

My husband said, “You’ve done well too, after all your experiences.”

 Perhaps, thanks to my faith. But all those situations left scars not only on my flesh but also on my heart, soul, and mind - as I'm sure her did too! 

One woman once told me, “You are one of the strongest women I’ve ever met. How did you survive all that?”

My first response was, “I had no choice.”

But was that true?

Looking back, I had choices. There were different paths I could have taken and skipped a lot of heartache (maybe), but I followed God’s will instead of my own. Besides, who knows what those other choices would have led to?

God knows the answer, and because of that, He chose my life paths.

I don’t regret any of my choices that aligned with His will. However, sometimes my mind plays with different scenarios, wondering how my life might look today had I made different choices. But I always come back to the same truth. God chose my paths. How could they be wrong? Even if they were filled with challenges, heartaches, and sorrows, the paths have also been filled with great joy. Joys I would have missed out on if I had chosen differently. 

My heart and prayers go out to those struggling on their paths, doing their best to survive. Their struggles may not be like mine, or yours, or like the poor woman alone in the Alaskan wilderness, but they are still filled with challenges and heartaches.

May God be with them every step, as He has been for me. Amen.