Life never stands still. It can crawl along too slowly, zip past us before we know it, torture us with opportunities we can never get again, or bewilder us with which path to take. But it never stands still.

A woman who learned about life's twists and turns shared her story with a pastor friend of mine. Shortly after her marriage, in full flush of love, she went out for a jog. Bursting with a feeling of how delicious her life was, she offered up a prayer of gratitude to God for her marriage, her health, and her faith. Feeling a twinge of guilt for being so carefree, she hoped that she could always be as happy as she was then. I don't think I need to tell you how that expectation turned out.

Shortly after her genuine, but naïve prayer, she and her husband moved to a new state. A friend h…