"LIFE IS JUST A BOWL OF CHERRIES.  DON'T MAKE IT SERIOUS. 
 LIFE'S TOO MYSTERIOUS.   THE SWEET THINGS IN LIFE TO YOU WERE JUST LOANED,
SO HOW CAN YOU LOSE WHAT YOU'VE NEVER OWNED? 
LIFE IS JUST A BOWL OF CHERRIES, SO LIVE AND LAUGH AT IT ALL"

 

Life Is Like A Bowl Of Cherries?
 
 
I never did really get that analogy.  I have heard many say, "Yeah life is like a bowl of cherries alright, it's the "pits."  I have heard others say that the bowl of cherries represents pure happiness and bliss with no worries, and no cares.  I don't know about your life, but mine has not been one without worries, cares, and difficulties.  I do thank God for this life every day and would never call this gift He has given me the pits.
 
This is the day the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it no matter what kind of pits this day may spit my way.  After wasting a lot of years with much grief from worry, God has finally taught me that worry gets me nowhere fast.  He has taught me to be content within my bowl of cherries, my circumstances, pits and all.
 
Another analogy of life, that I think best fits my life, is life is like a roller coaster.  Ups and downs, ups and downs, with the downs coming so quickly and unexpectedly sometimes that you just grab on to something, hold on very tight to someone's hand that you love, and try very hard not to throw up.  Sometimes on a roller coaster, you try to climb a hill that seems as high as a mountain.  As you hear the gears grinding, you just close your eyes and pray that the belt doesn't break and you can actually make it to the top.  As you climb, you know once you reach the top, it is almost certain that you will quickly descend once more.  The thing is, it feels really great to reach the top and know you made it without falling backward.
 
In the roller coaster world, believe me, falling forwards isn't half as bad as falling backward.  If you should go backward, you never know who or what will be behind you that you have already conquered that you will have to go all back over again.  There is no assurance that you are not going to crash, which won't be a pretty site.  At least going forward there is a clear path in front of you.
 
Analogies of life are cheap, a dime a dozen, or usually free to the listening ear.  Cherries are for eating, enjoying, and appreciating every bite that doesn't contain a pit.  Roller Coasters are for climbing on without fear, holding on tight to someone's hand that you love, and praying that you make it to the top of the mountain without throwing up, without falling backward on things you have already conquered, or without falling forwards flat on your face.
 
If we never take a chance and eat the cherries because we are fearful we might bite into a pit we will never know how delicious cherries can be.  If we never climb on a roller coaster because we are fearful of falling we will never experience the thrill of the climb and the joy of reaching the top of the mountain.
 
Life is like a bowl of cherries.  Life is like a roller coaster.  Take a big bite.  Take a chance.  Life is a gift given by God.  Today I pray we each go out and climb mountains that we think we can't climb.  I pray we each reach the top without falling backward.  If we fall forward after we reach the top, may we each get back up, and have a clear path in front of us to conquer new territory for the Lord.