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Today my brain is an unpleasant place to be.  It might be the weather.  Unseasonably warm weather has made the allergy season seem never ending and sinus headaches make everything harder.  It might be political tension.   I drove by a house this morning with more than 30 signs for the same candidate - it felt like the house was screaming at me - and everywhere I turn there are messages of fear and anxiety.  It might simply be stress from having been out of the office for vacation and then again for a conference, leaving me with an overwhelming mountain of work to catch up on.  Whatever the reason (most likely a combination of all of the above), I have struggled all day with simple tasks and have felt like twice as much effort has produced half as many results.  The cloudy sky outside of my window reflects my internal gloominess (or is it the other way around?).

We all have days like this.  In fact, I have heard from several people that they are having a day like this right alongside me today!  When we do, it is important to remember that we are held tightly in the love of God.  I don’t know how you are feeling today, but I for one need to be reminded that even on a day when nothing seems to go right and not nearly enough gets done, God still loves me.  I need to be reminded that no matter how ugly and divisive politics get, God continues to care for me and for all of God’s children.  The good news of the resurrection means that even when things look and feel like death, God is able to bring about new life.  I need to be reminded that the piles of work or the heavy burdens that I feel overwhelmed by are not mine to carry alone - I can ask for help!  And none of the “to-do’s” on my list define me or my worth.  I am a cherished and valued child of God without having to do anything to earn it.

Today the sky is cloudy and gloomy (another factor that definitely impacts my mood), but the Good News is that the sun will come out again.  These moments in life, however difficult, are always temporary.  Some last longer than others, some are more difficult than others, but we always live with the promise that God will carry us through even the worst moments and deliver us back into new life.  The promise of the resurrection tells us that on the other side of death - both figurative and literal - is always the gift of new life.  That is the Good News of the resurrection that applies to every aspect of our lives.  It applies to gloomy, non-productive days.  It applies to overwhelming grief and pain.  And it applies to the biggest and scariest moments of our lives.  In all of it, God is able to bring life out of death, in ways that we cannot even imagine.

However you are feeling today, please remember that you are loved and you do not have to do anything today to earn that love.  You are a blessed and loved child of God, just as you are.  And if things are hard right now, rest in the promise that they will get better.  The Holy Spirit will carry you through even this and will deliver you on the other side to a brand new day, back into joy and new life.

Amen