Because I was banking on it. I built my life around it.
When things crumble, deep diving into a faith that says all is unfolding just as it is supposed to is needed. Even when it is tragic. Or horrific. Or wrong.
The foundation of believing in a benevolent universe, an abundant life, a beautiful world, the goodness of people eventually leads to something good.
“It is what it is, Punkin”, my dad always said. He also used to love to ask me if someone promised me fair. Somehow this was comforting and disturbing all at the same time.
So what to do with that which has not been made well? When our vision of what life could be is so far from what life is … this reality can be soul crushing.
How do we live a restored life when our actual lives or loves or families are not?
Here are some thoughts:
Let it go. The agony can. just. be. too. much. We cannot anymore. Sometimes we have to back away. Solomon told us there is a time to hold on and another to let go. Anne Lamont shared a friend’s morning prayer: “Whatever” and the night time prayer “Oh well”. This posture resembles surrender. And surrender invites transformation.
Tap into the mystical. You don’t have to be religious to access the invisible power possible in our world. Take a beat. Be quiet. Go inside yourself. Ask your soul what she knows. Listen with expectation. Goodness and love have a way of entering in when a heart is open. It may seem abstract or even silly but when a miraculous moment falls into your lap, belief is born.
Cast a hope. Throw out a line with bait and see what you catch. Write out your hope. Detail your vision. Picture the scene. Imagine something new. What if goodness is the plan? However big or small, when a longing comes true, our hearts are enlivened.
I resist quoting saints or sharing cliches. Words can dismiss pain or require acceptance. Sometimes, though, a message brings some hope. So today in honor of the promise of miraculous resurrected life, I want to try to join Jesus in believing the promises He made to Julian in 1373… “”All shall be well and all shall be well and every manner of thing shall be well”.Because I was banking on it. I built my life around it.
When things crumble, deep diving into a faith that says all is unfolding just as it is supposed to is needed. Even when it is tragic. Or horrific. Or wrong.
The foundation of believing in a benevolent universe, an abundant life, a beautiful world, the goodness of people eventually leads to something good.
