“Most of us figure out by a certain age–some of us later than others–that life unspools in cycles, some lovely, some painful, but in no predictable order. So you could have lovely, painful, and painful again, which I think we all agree is not at all fair. You don’t have to like it, and you are always welcome to file a brief with the Complaints Department. But if you’ve been around for a while, you know that much of the time, if you are patient and are paying attention, you will see that God will restore what the locusts have taken away.”
Funny how despite the discovery that pain and joy can come to us in equal…and sometimes completely UN-equal measure… we are still always surprised when it comes. Humans seem to think that figuring out one bit of your life and catching some relief means that there won’t be anymore pain. At least not for a while. But that is not how life works. sometimes we end up in a terrible tailspin of bad circumstances. And the lovely stays away too long
I’m learning that what we do in the terrible seems to be critical…for me and for others.
Am I grateful? Am I willing to be of service to those in need? Am I willing to look outside of myself, despite the pain, and offer what I most need as a sacrifice to others during these times? Am I learning the lessons during this season of ugliness that I’m supposed to learn?
What will you and I do while waiting on the lovely?