We all have had and continue to face our share of good and bad days. And depending on your predisposition as an optimist or pessimist; the definition of each varies from person to person. For me, yesterday morning was the start of a bad day. Without going into laborious detail, you could say I was in a state of frustration, hurt and self pity; a good recipe for anger and worse yet, a reason for someone prone to depression to lash out. But that is only half the story.
As the day wore on I kept busy doing household chores as a way to work off the negative energy. By lunch time things were beginning to look a bit brighter and by evening the positive energy of good people doing good things out of the goodness of their hearts overcame the previous tension. I repeat myself to emphasize a word so often used that I think it has become almost a cliche. Anyone can do something positive for whatever reason, but when it comes from a deeper place inside, like the heart, I cannot help but notice my spirit being lifted up. It is truly a gift to see people who give so joyfully in spite of the challenges put before them. Any volunteer who has led a group of first or second grade boys at a Cub Scout den meeting knows full well what I mean.
By eight o’clock I was so full of positive energy that it was hard to curb my enthusiasm and return home where I had been so down earlier in the day. Then, I noticed a small wooden plaque that I had made years earlier just setting on a shelf in the kitchen. It was the face of Jesus as he may have appeared during the crucifixion. The image was burned into the wood to remind me of the sacred fire that burns in us all if we believe in the saving grace of Christ; an image I hold close so as not to forget the sacrifice he made. I even wrote something on the back to personalize the project. It says:
Behold the Savior’s face; scourged
Battered, bruised; blackened by hate
For the ones he loved so dear.
He endured; in spite of betrayal and denial of beloved friends.
Amidst the ignorance and envy of the world he became the ultimate sacrifice.
Upon the altar of disgrace he was nailed and hung for all people to see, but it was for them that he shed his earthly appearance to become the deliverer of God’s grace. He was led the way through his suffering cross to save us all from ourselves.
DAW 10/00
How ironic that it was in October of 2000 that I wrote this; perhaps even on the same day as yesterday! And so, I close with a link to a song that I hope clears the way for you to make the best of your day; however you define it.
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