I have not posted in a while. I just haven't had it in me for a couple of reasons. 1. My desktop finally bit the dust. Pour one out for my homie Dell desktop. RIP, you out dated, move at a snail pace desktop. I mean, it had Windows XP, people!
2. It feels like so many people around me are struggling. Maybe it's the age of my friends and I? People are losing parents, or coping with aging parents. Others are coming to the realization that it's time to change career paths. And there are others who are coping with serious illnesses. It really does seem so dark right now. I normally try to find the joy in everything. But this has all left me feeling like some bully just kicked the chair out from under me. In a nut shell, I have been in a funk.
I am blessed with the most awesome job in the world. A big part of that job involves me simplifying scripture in a way for children to understand. I was working on curriculum to teach how Jesus calms the storm. I began to work on a craft to bring the point home. I sketched waves onto blue card stock, punched a hole through a paper boat and the blue card stock. I applied the boat to the card stock with a brad. I glued a picture of Jesus behind the boat. In the picture, Jesus has his hand out to calm the storm. As I rocked the boat on the card stock to see how it looked, I thought about ways to communicate to my kids on how Jesus can calm their own storm. And it brought me back to my current frame of mind.
How is Jesus calming the storm of so many people that I care about? They are struggling through illness, problems with jobs, death, financial struggles. How is Jesus calming my storm? Things seem so sad, so turned upside down for many people. I want reassurance that everything will be ok. Where is my calm?
I plopped down on the sofa for a good "feel sorry for myself and binge watch a tv show on Netflix" session. I started watching House of Cards. I was hooked from episode 1. It is so good. Two hours later, I was still watching. I finally had to stop, because the kids were coming home. But I could have kept going. The show is not a comedy. It's political, the people are down right repulsive and with few redeeming qualities. But for a brief period, I had peace. It was an escape from my own worries. House of a Cards calmed my storm.
Ok, I may be over simplifying things. And maybe it's silly or offensive to some when I say that a tv show calmed my storm that day. But here is my point. Life is full of struggles. We were never given the promise that life would be free from difficulties. Like my craft that I worked on, sometimes that sea will be treacherous. The boat will be rocking wildly in the storm. But the way in which Jesus calms our storm may not be so obvious.
It could be as simple as sharing a beautiful sunset with someone you love as you contemplate making a difficult choice. Sharing one of those hysterical fits of laughter in the midst of dealing with loss. Or watching House of Cards to escape from the stress for a couple of hours. It's those simple little moments that can help keep us sane during the dark days.
Are you living in darkness? I am a person of faith, but even if you are not, you can find comfort in knowing that there is light in the darkest times, even if for a brief moment. Look around you. It's there.
And yeah, I love House of Cards. Francis is one deliciously bad dude.
