Curve

Hello Hatters,

A tough couple of days produced intense feelings. Here‘s the jest of it.

Life... felt hard. Perseverance... not easy when troubles came in lots of directions and for long durations. I mostly try to have good attitudes and turn the other cheek, but it’s exhausting. What made my disposition even harder was that I didn’t like feeling that way. The ‘grumpy me’ wasn’t welcome. I experienced a sharp curve in my otherwise straight and normal happy path. In other words, a curve ball was pitched when I expected it to be straight.

Some of my readers might figure I had a bad day. Maybe I had a bad week or a bad month. Sometimes it’s just a tough year. Some of my readers will check out about now. That’s fine. It just confirms my thoughts: it’s too hot in my kitchen for some people and there’s no fire extinguisher around. I felt flat out deflated, like a bike with no air in the tires. In my own vision, I saw no sign of an air pump and no ability to move.

My state of mind exaggerated every negative at least ten-fold. Nights were sleepless and days felt crabby. These emotions felt self defeating and unhealthy. Left to my own devices, I got stuck. I wanted to feel better. I wanted my happy self back.

I longed for the peace that passes all understanding. At the bottom of the barrel and the end of my rope, only one solution works. The Word, The Bible. Scripture changed my outlook. I couldn’t move past the blockades without the wisdoms found in this best seller. The regular people (like me) in the Bible, we’re in the same hopeless state as me, until the touch. When I am lovingly brought back to the awareness of my blessings, it’s done with grace, mercy, and peace. I snag a small inkling of the worth that is placed upon me. The burdens lift, the melancholy fades and I feel better; dare I say it? I can feel positive again?

I take a chance to be completely real and vulnerable about the rawness of those few days. I write as someone who wears many hats and also as one who gets derailed from time to time. If you get me, then I know I’m not alone in this human experience.

Where do you go when things get messed up? One version of Psalms 86 says, “Bend down thine ear, O Lord, for I am poor and needy.” This plea is a great place to start the dialogue with God. Mostly, He answers in the Bible to show me, grow me, and slow me. His Word curves me back to gratitude and fortitude. I return to press on. Join me.

Hugzzzzzzz,

MT