Life feels like an unending war. When things subside, pain softens, the assault eases, or there is a quiet moment laced with beauty, it feels like the war is over. Even though I know it is a mirage that comes with every lull, I want to celebrate. I want to believe that everything is going to come together from this point forward. I want to embrace peace.
Just when I fool myself into thinking my dreams are possible, another battle begins. The war is never over. The pain, loss, and uncertainty that we knew yesterday will be here today and likely tomorrow.
It is ugly. I wish I could give someone the present of stepping out and away from this war. Sadly, we are all in it, together. We are in the fight for our lives. It will not end until it ends. The only question is what we are going to do about it.
I have three thoughts I am holding onto this morning. They are not exhaustive. I do not see them as the final answers, but Life keeps bringing them up.
Patience. I want to win every battle. In each situation, as I wrestle, fight, and claw my way through, I find myself praying “Don’t let them say to themselves, ‘Ha-ha, we got what we wanted.’ Don’t let them say, ‘We’ve chewed him up and spit him out.’” (Psalm 35.25) Life keep whispering, patience, you are in a war filled with many battles.
Center. In the heat of the moment, it feels as if every negative is all about me. Life reminds me to get over it. “The battle is about good versus evil, community versus self, and trust versus proof. I am a part of it but I am not the center.
Fight. In a battle there is always the choice to standby and do nothing. I hear a call to action. Life reminds me that the best fighters use weapons of compassion, mercy, and empathy. Each comes with the chance to capture a heart.
Today’s fight has already begun.
