My wife and I just got back from vacation.  It was great!  We went to Oregon for almost two weeks and spent time with my wife's parents.  This was the first time that our dog, Tyson, went on such a long trip with us.  It took us two days to drive there, and two back.  We stayed in our tent at a great campground on the way up and back.  It was awesome. 

     However, Tyson was not too enthusiastic about the trip.  The day we left, we put him in his kennel in the back of our car and headed out.  Around the Sand Dune rest area, we pulled over to let him out, because he hadn't stopped whining since we left.  My first thoughts were, "We can still turn around and leave him.... This trip is going to be very long if he doesn't stop whining." He eventually did calm down, but for most of the way up, including the night in the tent, he was very nervous, jumpy, and just not sure if this traveling thing was such a good idea.
     Finally, we arrived in Oregon.  My in-laws have a beautiful house with a huge yard with lots of trees, a little ditch that looks a lot like a creek with water running through it, and lots of grass.  Tyson was in heaven.  After a brief time of dehydration as he attempted to mark every tree in this part of Oregon, he had a blast.  He spent a lot of time running around, checking out the sights, chasing squirrels, eating acorns (I know, he's weird! By the way, do acorns hurt dogs?) and basically having the time of his life.  He even did great all the way home just sleeping and watching all the way.
     You know, I am a lot like Tyson, and I bet you are, too.  Oftentimes, I feel as though God is trying to move me, trying to get me to leave my comfort zone and try something new. When this happens, I find myself whining all the time, jumping at shadows, and being very anxious.  I hate not knowing what lies ahead.  The thing is, not once has God taken me on one of these journeys where the destination wasn't great.  And still, I have a hard time just relaxing and enjoying the journey.  My hope and prayer for all of us is that we can get to a place where we can relax and trust that God only wants what is best for us; that the places he will take us are good places, and the things that we will experience will bring joy.  Even those times when we seem to be struggling just to keep our heads above water, may we find peace that our Father in heaven will bring us safely to His destination and will never leave us where we are.
Enjoy the ride. 

                                                         Because He Lives, Laretta K. Shrader