Hello everyone,
You know, it’s hard to be positive. Especially in times like these when there are a lot of things to be negative about, it’s just not easy to be cheery, jovial, and happy go lucky. And it’s extra tough for someone like me, who can pride themselves with being known for their cheery, jovial, and happy go lucky attitude.
Let’s take today for instance. I woke up really groggy and unwilling to move more than just my arm to hit the snooze button (x5). When I finally got up and left the house, I noticed my ring finger on my left hand felt a little light… I forgot my wedding band at home (I had hoped, at least). When I got to church, I realised that I forgot the plug in adapter for my computer, so it ran out of juice really quickly and I had to work off my phone. After the service, I just wanted to go home to write in this exact blog but my kids really wanted to go to the park… it was freezing. I took them to the park for about an hour and brought them home and cleaned the up, and after cleaning myself up, I’m pretty much just sitting down now to write… at 5:30pm.
Sigh… it’s tough to be positive.
But then, why am I complaining? I have a job to wake up for, I have a lovely wife that I’m reminded of by my wedding band (that was at home on my dresser), I have a good enough phone that I can still do much of my computing work on, and the day was beautiful enough to go to the park with these kids who wouldn’t want to go the park with anyone else but their dear old dad.
I know it might sound like I’m showing off here, but what I realised in this day that seemed to go so wrong that I still have much to be thankful for, I have much to appreciate, I am, in many ways, blessed. Not more than anyone else, but just in different ways. Sometimes we just need to be reminded of how we are blessed and how God’s love is apparent in and around our lives.
It isn’t always easy especially in times like these that we find ourselves in, but it is always there. For we are, have been, and will always be loved by God, and it shows throughout our lives.
Here are the readings for next week:
Revelation 7:9-17
Psalm 34:1-10, 22
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12
These texts remind us that even when times are tough, God is with us. From times of oppression, times of loneliness, times of despair, God remains God and continues to love us. We might not feel it, and if we’re honest with ourselves, we often don’t. But God knows, God is present, God continues to be worthy of our praise.
This isn’t to belittle the actual suffering that we may face. It doesn’t mean that we won’t encounter any pain or problems. This doesn’t mean that life will be all roses. But it does mean that we can face these things with a different kind of confidence, one that tells us that nothing can ever remove us from the love of God through Jesus Christ.
And for this coming All Saints Day, this might hit a little different. This All Saints Day we’ll be remembering those whom we’ve loved and lost, and how different losing them is during a pandemic. But even in our grief and sadness, we can remember that we have been blessed with these people in our lives, we have been blessed with a community of support and care, and we have been blessed with a love that created the universe.
Thanks be to God! May this week be full of God’s blessing, apparent in your lives even during this pandemic.