There are times where jewels are within reach and one is totally ignorant. It would seem odd that once you discover beauty, or friendship, or love that you could lose sight of it, but it happens in more situations than I care to describe or acknowledge. We, or at least I, cannot see what is.
During the past few days I have rediscovered the strength and resilience of the people I work closely with. We walked through difficult conversation with a level of shared trust, confidence, and openness that I can remember thinking might be there, hoping could be there, but never knowing was there. Once we had walked the path together it was hard to recall just what life was like before I knew was around me.
Relationships are the same. It is easy to say that “a good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds. Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it.” (Proverbs 31.10, 11) However this is rarely reality. My behavior can mask, hide, or tear down the trust that exists between Cherry and my self. Challenges with life, kids, financials, and who knows what else can be seen as walls or voids between the two of us. In the midst of the blindness and fog the jewel remains. Can I see it? Will I reach out to it? What will I do; today or tomorrow?
Life is full of the good, bad, and the ugly. Being aware of the bad or the ugly is not difficult. Evidence always questions if the next steps will work. There is far too much evidence that things cannot be changed. Dealing with real and potential pain is difficult. And in this process we miss the good.
My eyes were opened this week. Now that I see what is my imagination for what could be is full to overflowing. I want to hold onto trust, compassion, and hope. What God is changes all of us from the inside out. This can be our 24×7 reality.
