Over the last couple of days, I have been reminded of a very important fact of life: It can be messy! We might even go as far as to say that sometimes life just sucks. I know we all have faced rough patches in our lives that leave us wondering, "Why me?" Well, while I wish I could say that this post would provide the right answer to this question, I can not. However, what I can say is that in the midst of all of our "mess" we can always find a glimmer of something that points us toward hope. A story:
The other day, I ventured out to play a round of golf. The day was beautiful! While I would not claim to be a good golfer by any means, I enjoy being out on the course and experiencing the rhythm of the game. Well after finishing the round, I took some time to look back over my score card. Upon doing this, I recalled the all too numerous "rough patches" I faced throughout the 18-hole round (multiple bunker shots, errant drives, slices, dribblers, hunting for lost balls in thick woods and grass, etc). One hole in particular, though, was about as bad as it gets in golf -- I shot a 9 on a par 4. I did not think I would ever find the hole the way I was hitting the ball. Feeling terribly dejected at this point, I moved on to the next hole trying to shake off what was in the past with the hope that things might turn around. Well, in this case, they did. I wound up having the best hole of the day with a birdie on one of the toughest holes of the course! My confidence was back. This glimmer of hope reminded me why I keep coming back to this sport. Over the rest of the round I settle back into a state of normalcy, but at least now I had regained my hope that better things would come in the future if I just kept playing.
Now, I know this golf story is simply a metaphor for life. However, I believe metaphors and anecdotes like this one can be just what we need when looking for strength amid the seriousness of real life. As a Christian, I can use the glimmer of hope from Jesus' example of sacrificial love on the cross to help me along. Wherever you find your glimmer of hope there, too, you will find the Spirit.
"All shall be well and all shall be well. In every manner of things, all shall be well." - St. Julian of Norwich
May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful.
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