Haven’t we all succumbed to this lie at one time or another? Here’s a phrase that should put you on high alert: “If only.” It sounds something like this: “If only I had a new car, if only I could get the promotion, if only I had the latest cell phone, or if only I got a popular toy... then life would be perfect.”

My first experience rowing a boat was on vacation in Florida. I was about twelve years old. My parents and their friends watched me from the beach as I tried to maneuver the small vessel.

But the heart has other feelings. Hearts break, hearts weep, and hearts cry out for help. Hearts cling to the warm, fuzzy feelings of love, but they also hold on to profound loss, sadness, fear, and doubt. If we’re expecting our lives to look like the perfect Hallmark movie, the odds of that happening aren’t always in our favor.