Naive Lessons in Life

I have been accused of living a sheltered and naive life at times. When I was 16, I was thinking about what age you should really have things figured out. My logical thinking rationalized that by the age of 30, people should have lived long enough and experienced enough of life to have their arms around how to live it. The equation for a successful life would center around a strong work ethic and the Golden Rule. This simple model would provide me everything I ever wanted in life. I would have my perfect little family. We would live in this perfect little house with a white picket fence. When people looked in the front door we would all be sitting there smiling like Ward and June Cleaver from "Leave It to Beaver". It would be simple. I would be happy, successful and live happily ever after--end of story.

Now I know how naive I was. As I was pushing 30, I realized that it really wasn't as simple as I had thought earlier. As I dodged through the 40's, I was even less confident that I had it figured out. I collided with 50 and I started to rethink what it means to succeed in life.

I was two decades off in my prediction, I'm just finally getting my arms around how to live life. It is simple but not the way I thought when I was 16. Love makes it simple. Love for Him, Love for self and Love for others. I have long given up on looking and modeling my life after June Cleaver. Outward appearances and definitions of success are always deceiving anyway. I am unique for all of the right reasons and His gift of success in my life is revealed each day in the blessings I see in how love is exampled by people who aren't afraid to love around me.

The lesson I've learned from all of this is that success in life is measured from the inside out. Each day is a gift and an opportunity to live life to the fullest--His way not ours. One thing I wasn't naive about was, it is very simple if you let it be. The lesson is.....Love like this is your last day on earth, Lead like you are a child of The King, Laugh like you don't have a care in the world and let The Lord do the rest.