I used to think that good things happened to good people. That is how all of my favorite movies ended. Even if the protagonist went through hard times…it always worked out in the end. The things that seemed bad either were magically fixed or ended up being really good things. If you were a good person, you had a good outcome and if you were the villain or a bad person – it all came back around to you in the end.
But life doesn’t really work out that way, much to my disappointment. And we are not guaranteed that life will turn out okay. Being a good person doesn’t mean that you will not struggle – financially, relationally, physically. As a matter of fact, the Bible tells us that we in fact WILL have trouble. The world is full of brokenness and that all we are guaranteed is that we will experience that brokenness while we are here.
I am not a huge fan of this. I like the movie version better. When scrawny kids can karate chop the bully and all is right with the world. When an entire village donates money to save your business right before the police show up to take it all away. When you are walking dejectedly down the road heartbroken and your best friend/love of your life runs up and sweeps you off your feet.
That is a much easier thing for me to handle. I can hang in there indefinitely if I think the happy ending is right around the corner. The harder part comes in when it is not necessarily ever going to be there.
Living in the reality of this world can seriously bum me out if I let it. But as hokey as it sounds, cultivating gratefulness really does help. Who knew Oprah could be right about the stupid Gratitude journal?
Somehow it is hard to be depressed about your life when you are cataloguing the things that bring you joy.
The sunny, warm day
The gorgeous fall leaves
Hot coffee on a cool morningTeenage girl giggly drama
Hugs from friends just because
Movie Night with a good bottle of wine
These are just a few things from this past weekend that I am grateful for…the full list doesn’t even begin to fit.
So although life doesn’t turn out the way you think it will, or hope it will or wanted it to….does that really matter? Yes it hurts and it is hard…but there is so much to be grateful for…it seems wise to focus on those things rather than on what is hard or difficult or unfair.
At least that is what I am choosing to do today. Remind me again tomorrow.
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