When it rains...

I came into work today and just got here when all of a sudden it started to dump rain. I mean really come down. I was on the top floor of the building and it was beating the roof like a drum. I peaked out the terrace windows and it was a solid curtain of water. I thought, man there goes the day. About 30 minutes later the rain had move through, the temperature had dropped and it was refreshingly cool.

Sometimes life is like that. The figurative rain is coming down and it seems like it will never let up. My thoughts never seem to run to "it will be over soon". They usually are like the lyrics of the song "Working in a Coal Mine": 'Lord, I'm so tired. How long can this go on?' But like today's brief storm, life sometimes lets up on me and their is a reprieve. At least for awhile. I keep telling myself that. Even though it feels like I am in the midst of it now, it will come to an end. And the sun will come out, and... well I don't know from there. That's the thing about the future, you never really know what's coming, do you?

That's Just the way it is...

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
Ah, but don't you believe it


Sometimes you feel stuck, like there is no way out, and "that's just the way it is, some things will never change". You hit seasons of your life that suck, and there doesn't seem to be anything you can do about it. You can scream and yell and rail about it, but to no avail.

I had the first two lines of this snippet of the Bruce Hornsby and the Range song rolling around in my head, but not the last line. I had a conversation with a dear friend today that shook things up a little for me. He kindly prodded me to crawl out of the rut (or was it a grave?--they say the only difference is that a rut is a grave with both ends kicked out) that I felt I was stuck in.

Later in the day I ended up Googling the lyrics to the song and guess what? I realized that the last line of the chorus was the most poignant part of the whole song: Ah but don't you believe it. Don't buy into the "whole I've fallen and I can't get up" routine. Things do change, they do get better.

It was an exercise in faith. Will I trust that my God is faithful to supply all my needs, according to His riches in glory? Or will I just accede to life and say, That's just the way it is?

For now, I am standing up and peeking over the edge of rut.

Today is the first day...

...of the rest of your life . It is really quite an intriguing phrase (no you don't need to add 'start it right with Total' this isn't a commercial). If you really think about it, it forces you to say, "so...what now?" It doesn't matter your age or position. What now? Everything that came before today is over; you can't change it or do anything about it. What now? Where do I go from here?

Statistically speaking, over half my life on this big blue and green sphere is over. And if youthfulness is a prime requirement for enjoying life then, by all rights my best years are behind me. Maybe life hasn't been all I had hoped it would be. Yet... "today is the first day of the rest of your life" speaks, even to those of us who are not youthful and may be locked in the day to day grind of life. It speaks of unlocking our dreams, of new possibilities, of new adventures, of new experiences, all yet to be had. I can either embrace the possibilities and move forward, or I can let the ghostly chains of memory and the past keep me from moving into the future with enthusiasm and joy for life.

So...what now? The opportunities are almost limitless.