Find Your Branch

The Road Is Long

The Road Is Long
By Felecia Hill
Southern Region Vice President

In our everyday lives, there are so many things that come our way.

We find our assistance is needed at home, work, church or with friends. We find ourselves reaching out to this person or that one, doing a project, but we often forget about ourselves.

The road of life is a long one. It has been described as a marathon—not a sprint. We need to remind ourselves to take a deep breath and not forget to exhale, realizing we are here for the long run. No one can do a job well when they’re mentally and physically exhausted.

We work hard, but sometimes we need to learn how to play hard and rest hard. Of all the tasks we have in life, we cannot do any of them well without rest. We must learn to take care of ourselves first before we work hard on tasks and for others. As a result, our hard work will pay off.

When life presents difficult challenges, we should pause and decide if we are going to let it take us down or we will make it through the difficult ups and downs. It has been said, “It’s not what happens to you in life, but what you make of what happens to you in life.”

Our work makes up a large portion of our adult lives. If we don’t enjoy what we do, we should decide whether to transfer to a different department or find something different that we enjoy. We can be happy and relaxed; our work will be enjoyed each day.

Learn to live, love and laugh. Enjoy the simple things along life’s journey. Do you ever get up early to watch the sun rise or make a special effort to stop and watch the sun set? What beauty we miss if we don’t take time to enjoy the simple things in life.

Our Creator has given us so much to enhance our daily lives. Oftentimes, though, in our hurried-up, fast-paced lives, we miss out. He gives us beautiful days of sunshine and blue skies behind puffy white clouds. He paints the land with gorgeous and colorful flowers, lovely trees and mountains that touch the sky. There are lakes, streams, oceans and pretty birds that sing to us. How sad that sometimes we don’t even notice.

We must promise ourselves that we will take time to slow down and enjoy the beauty of life and laughter of the children. As we do this, we will realize we must first care for the most important person in our lives—ourselves. Once we take care of ourselves, we can reach out to others and happily do our work with pride.

Remember, the race isn’t given to the swift or the strong, but to those who endure to the end. Take time to relax and slow down; the road is long.