The cliché suggests that things come in groups of three. Bad and good hitting you in clusters, although I cannot remember the last time that I was caught off guard by three good things in a row. Even as I write my lament, I know that there have been multiple excepts although I cannot remember them right now. What I see is the three hits that landed yesterday. There was no warning. While one was old, it has sat idle for so long that I had forgotten about it.
For now I will struggle with the three waves that have landed at my feet. The blunt reality of it all makes it seem like a wall that is slowly pushing me into a corner with no exits. Whatever the force is, it feels as if “horns [are] lowered, nostrils flaring, like a herd of buffalo on the move.” (Psalm 22.13)
I can only offer myself the following reminders.
I am not the first or the last to experience this. In fact, relative to others I can think of, I have gotten off relatively easily. Life hits all without consideration. The fact that I am feeling that pain does not mean that the act is either good or bad. It simply is. It also hurts.
There are times that one should fight injustice. However, one is not called to fight every injustice, no matter how painful it is as the time. It is always important to pause, reflect, and see if one has been called to go into battle.
The question in the moment at hand is never about how good or bad I feel, although it is hard to think of it in any other way. The moment at hand is always about being present and responding. Am I here? Am I engaged? Do I want to make a difference?
As I sense the overwhelming pressure on my heart, I can see Hope extending a hand. There is an opportunity within my reach where I can leave others with compassion, mercy, and a sense of possibilities.
