Life can be cruel sometimes. All of us have had our thinking and routines altered over the past couple of weeks and we have experienced a roller coaster of emotions. A warm day, full of sunshine has a way to make us “feel” better. It won’t change the reality of our lives, but for a moment we feel different. As I looked outside, excited about seeing the sunshine and feeling its warmth, something caught my eye. My wife and daughter were dragging out our deck chairs. It doesn’t take much to change the way we feel. My thoughts quickly changed, “Hey! Hey! You know it’s a little early for those chairs?!” Neither of them stop. My excitement has changed. Yes, life can be cruel sometimes.
I just can’t help myself. I am guilty of not enjoying the “feel” better moments of life. After everything we have experienced the past couple of weeks, I should at least enjoy the sunshine and the warmth without being so easily distracted. I keep saying to myself, “You know it’s a little early for those chairs.” No one will listen and I just want to make sure it won’t snow again. While I watched my wife sit on the deck relaxing and my daughter sitting in the sun smiling, I choose to worry more than enjoy.
Many of us are experiencing the same feelings. The COVID19 virus causes you to worry more than you enjoy. My wife and daughter kept encouraging me to settle down, relax and take care of myself. Part of me wants to defend my actions; the majority of me knows that I am weighing myself down. While I was determined to prove my point, worried about it being too early to drag our deck furniture out, something caught my eye. A warm day, full of sunshine and my wife and daughter enjoying it. I missed it, I just wouldn’t allow myself to let go. Yes, life can be cruel.
Proverbs 12:25 states Anxiety in a person’s heart weighs it down, but a good word cheers it up.
Don’t be like me and weigh yourself down. Enjoy more than you worry. No, a warm day doesn’t change the reality of this virus but we can choose to enjoy the small moments. Even if it’s a little early for those chairs.
Until we see each other again
Pastor Chad