Skip to main content

AND

A big concept I’ve been wrestling with this year is the idea that in life, good and bad coexist. One does not cancel out the other. Good and bad can share the same space. They each stand on their own two feet and are evaluated independently. It’s not about deciding whether there was more good than bad and labeling it as “good” if the good points outweigh the bad (or visa versa).

It is now past 6pm the day after Thanksgiving, and it has taken me about 24 hours of emotional turmoil and feeling decidedly not thankful to apply this concept to thankfulness and try using the word “and” instead of “but”.

For example:
🍁 I’m grieved that my body still fails me AND I’m thankful for my husband’s love, stability, and goofiness.
🍁 I’m so over being tired AND I’m thankful for my family.
🍁 Chronic pain freaking sucks AND being an aunt is the best.

‘But’ says that the one cancels out the other. ‘And’ says that they are both independent and true things. So the thankfulness thing is going a little better. The good doesn’t cancel out the bad, and you can hurt AND be thankful at the same time (it could even be about the same thing, which is 🥴 but possible).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Still, Small Voice

Like any good human, I'm waiting for the earthquake that determines my next move in life. I'm waiting for the hurricane, or the volcano, or the atomic bomb. Something obvious that will tell me what to do. You're not being faithful in the little things. I was driving down the road on my way to work, whining to God about why I had to be doing this, why I couldn't move somewhere new, do something new, try something exciting. Then came the still small voice. You're not being faithful in the little things. And it was gone. It wasn't the flowery message we so often pass around of God has great things for you, just wait, it will come, it will be better than you could imagine... It was you're not being faithful . Ouch. Words never sting so much as when you know, no question, they're true. The time I waste. The half-hearted job I do on certain tasks. The avoiding of certain people. The fact I'm sitting here flipping between Facebook and ty...
Post a Comment
Read more

Maybe It's Not So Bad....

So apparently I don't learn my lessons very well. I was going back through my recent posts, and they were about thankfulness and giving God control of my life. This past week, I've been bombarded with small and medium sized things that require a reaction from me. And my reactions haven't been very good. Instead of looking for ways that God can use the situation, I've been complaining. A lot. Yesterday, when yet another thing had to be dealt with, I was reminded of Paul. Here I am, worried about how to fix my truck and if I can get all my homework done in time. There's Paul, rejoicing because he GETS to suffer for Christ. And he doesn't just have a lot of homework. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits...
Post a Comment
Read more

This Present Darkness

Everywhere I turn, normal little things stand as reminders of what I can't do and what I've lost. Some days, I don't know how to put words to the feelings and so the tears come. And they don't stop. I don't know how to grieve the loss of hopes and dreams. To grieve the loss of just doing normal things. Life is hard right now. There's not one thing in my life right now that is simple or easy. Even the good things are hard and tainted with a touch of complication or fear. I've tried and tried to process life. To come to a conclusion. To resolve and move on. Every time I think I've conquered it, the tears come the next moment. But I'm learning. I'm learning that spiritual oppression is real and Satan hates me and wants me to quit. I'm learning to trust God because I've done everything I know how and it's not working. I'm learning (very slowly) to accept help and care from others as an extension of God's grace to me. I'm ...
1 comment
Read more