Today was my 40th wedding anniversary and I dragged my old, tired, stiff, overweight body out of bed (pathetic I know but that’s how I felt this morning) and groggily shuffled my way to the mirror…why? Why do we do the one thing we ‘know’ will send us down a road of negative thoughts and the negative comments that are sure to follow? I strained my eyes to look at my reflection and there it was…a zit! Not a little blemish, but a real big, ugly, zit placed strategically on the right front part of my chin so as to be seen clearly by all who dared gaze at this unseemly sight!
“Funny,” I reminisced, 40 years ago on my wedding day I awoke with a similar plague on my skin. I thought my world was over…drama queen would have been a mild description for what followed. Crying, begging God to intervene in this most tragic event, searching through tubs of make-up looking for the magic marker that would do the trick and visualizing a disgusted groom turning from me in angst at what he saw. My world was teetering on implosion.
Fast-forward (literally) to 40 years later…running late as usual for church this morning caused me to have to pull out the ‘magic pouch’ of make-up I keep in my purse and begin the daily ritual of ‘making the best of what is’ while being driven to church. In my attempt to cover the intruder I couldn’t help but notice that along with that pimple were also wrinkles around the eyes and shadows of aging creeping across my face. I said out loud, “pimples and wrinkles, now that’s not fair!” And that was it, no more drama, no making deals with God if He would just please remove this thing, no fears of rejection, just a sense of moving on with the ebb and flow of life….not passivity just a calm acceptance of what is.
Life does have its way of helping put things in perspective, mellowing does occur when we are not even aware, peace that passes former understanding prevails and what was a tragedy in years gone by is just a simple reminder that life has evolved. What, at one time, we think we cannot handle or bear, gives way to a deep-seated assurance of God in our midst in spite of…well, everything! These temporary things, big or small, are working something far greater in us than we can now see. It’s the eternal not the temporary that counts!
“So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.” (II Corinthians 4:17…The Message)
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” ( II Corinthians 4:17…NIV)
Love you Susan and Randy …. thanks for reminding of what is real . Merry Christmas