We all have a path in life.

It's not always one that is as clear as a cloudless sky, but rather it's not as dark and clouded as the bottom of the ocean as we think. Though, it can definitely feel like that at times. We all struggle with figuring out what we want out of life. We struggle with how our lives are supposed to be lived to their full potential. We struggle with what our path has in store for us and how it'll lead us through life.

Throughout my life, I've had faith. A faith in humanity and most of all, a faith in my God. A God who doesn't let me down and won't. A God whose existence isn't one that's that apparent in today's fast-paced society. Yet, He is the one who has defined our paths long before we know them and yet our lives are this exploration of how we live them and what we live them for. Yet, we are supposed to "give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in your ways" (Proverbs 4:26), but we don't. We live our lives like race cars on a track racing around and around and sometimes not giving thought to where we go and where we are headed or even should be headed. And I'm not talking about cars.

I recently talked about my hopes and fears, and despite the fact that they're something I face almost every day, it never gets easier articulating them. I have fears about my future, as do most people. I have fears about what I'll do with my life. I even have fears about the "here and now" aspect of life - but I also have hopes about what the next year will entail and the adventures that await.

It's hard to know exactly where you're going when you're stuck at a crossroads - wandering through a fog that doesn't seem to end, a tunnel that just ends. However you want to describe it, they all get the message across. And even with the fact of knowing that I'm not alone in this life, it doesn't make it any easier to face. Our life is supposed to be filled with these wonderlands throughout the wilderness that keep us safe, even if only temporary. Some wonderlands are these mirages that give us a false sense of security or hope, even. They fill us up, only to find out it was short-lived, while others are longer lasting and will accurately give us aspects of our lives that we need to fulfill to be full. This isn't to say that our forests can't be filled with an abundance of joy and fulfillment. But more times than not, our wildernesses seemed to leave us surrounded by these feelings that aren't always happily faced.

Personally, I find my wonderland in my faith. I find my wonderland in the little joys of my life - from the people I meet to the goals I strive to achieve to the excitements in life that leave you full of content and almost a sense of prosperity. I find happiness in knowing the people in my life. I find comfort in having no idea where my life will lead me. But sometimes the wilderness presents us with a crossroads where you feel surrounded by a forest that just seems to repeat itself, making you feel lost. It leaves you feeling barren and in a haze of confusion. However, getting through the dark parts of the wilderness leave you to thrive in the wonderlands. Walking through that dark forest surrounded by trees that seem to never end should only give you hope towards finding that next wonderland.

Our paths in life aren't always defined by what we do, but how we get there, even if it's only two steps forward and one step back. Our paths are there to guide us through life and the feelings of being at the bottom of the ocean are there to help us rise up and move on. Our path reveals itself in due time and sometimes the struggle is worth the end result.