Welcome to Holland

Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride. Don't be quick-tempered, for anger is the friend of fools. Don't long for "the good old days," for you don't know whether they were any better than today. (Ecclesiastes 7:8-10 NLV).

I am often asked how I manage to live life with such optimism, especially in the face of difficulty. I have discovered it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans: the Coliseum, Michaelangelo's David, and the Gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting! After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland!"

"Holland?" you say, "What do you mean Holland? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy! "But, there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland, and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So, you must go and buy new guidebooks. And, you must learn a whole new different language. And, you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy less flashy than Italy. But, after you've been there awhile, and you catch your breath; you look around and begin to notice that Holland has windmills. Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts!

But, everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy; and they are all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And, for the rest of your life, you will say, "Yes, that is where I was supposed to go. That is what I had planned." And the pain of that will never, ever, go away; because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss. But, if you spend your whole life mourning the fact that you didn't get to go to Italy; you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland!

I have embodied this principle in a little phrase that I long ago memorized and often quote to others and myself. It has proven a wise proverb in life:

Never let past failures or future fears rob you of present joy.

It’s so easy to get lost in the good old days. We are often plagued with our failures, or taunted by our successes. Neither will bring you today’s joy. Even when life seems to have toppled in on you, remember the grace of God that is available to you. Don’t miss the wonder of Holland because you didn’t make it to Italy!