If you are anything like me, there have been days lately when you thought “Really? None of this makes ANY sense and it stinks. How could this timing get ANY worse?”
Rest assured: you are in good company. As life continues, I learn more and more that, despite being the oldest cliche in the book, life really is a journey and not a destination. And on top of that, its path constantly changes. But I hope one thing that might help ‘today’ be more bearable is realizing that this is NOT the end of our story. It’s just a new chapter, or verse, or page, or whatever you want to call it.
Not only is today just a chapter, but vital to our transition into what’s next. Despite their fleeting and temporary appearance, despite the fact that some days are really hard, despite the fact that they confirm the notion of life as an endurance race, pain is truly temporary (as I used to tell my son, usually as I was sitting on top of him.) It is SO easy to get completely caught up in the moment of pain that we become short-sighted real quick. We tell ourselves ‘I don’t care about tomorrow or the PLAN…this sucks and I want it to stop!”
Believe me…I GET IT! Been there…done that. But it’s a mirage.
It’s funny how a change in the process can erase all thoughts of common sense and logic. We go in to some other mental mode that has no relationship to the truth. I am not a psychologist, so I can’t tell you what that mode is, but I am sure it has a name and a whole chapter devoted to it in the Psychology 101 textbooks. But let me assure you, there have been plenty of people who had absolutely horrendous days, yet kept going. And we all know the ends of their stories, because we read about them in the history books or inspirational stories..
What if David tucked his tail and ran when he saw Goliath? None of the Israelites would have said a word to David; they didn’t want to be there either.
Did you know that Ludwig Van Beethoven, one of history’s greatest composers, continued to write music well after he was completely deaf? How much more ‘unfair’ could something feel to someone? Music was his life and passion, and then at the age of 44 he was 100%, completely tone deaf. After he wrote the famous Ninth Symphony, he conducted the orchestra as they performed in Italy and once it was over, Beethoven could not hear the rapturous applause of the audience. He had to be physically turned around to see the people cheering. He had every reason to stop writing music, stop performing, and nobody would have said a word or blamed him for quitting–but he decided his story wasn’t going to end there. As his handicap increased, he adapted several of his music scores so they were in the range of tone he could still barely hear until complete deafness overtook him years later. He adapted!
Embrace today. it may be a very difficult day for you, and there is certainly no guarantee that there won’t be even more in the future, but rather than looking at these days as signs to quit or abandon ship…realize that the pain and suffering you might be experiencing are NOT the end of your story….they’re a PART of your story. A very big part. We never seem to face hard times when things are going just fine; they always happen when we least expect it or may feel prepared to handle them. But that in itself is what makes them so important. Courage would not exist if we weren’t first scared.
Also remember that when we go through tough times, many eyes are looking at us to see how we respond. Be the light–the difference that others can see. You might be their only glimmer of hope in this crazy world.
MATTHEW 5
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again?
It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket.
Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.