This Too Shall Pass

It never fails--just as I am writing with peaceful contentment about accepting life's struggles, it seems like things start to unravel. The only thing I know how to do when conflict strikes is to talk...write...and pray. So, at the risk of talking my husband's ear off, here I am.  And, a long run today was a chance to clear my head and spend some time with God against a backdrop of blue skies and warm sunshine.  I thought of how His mercies are new every morning. Tomorrow is a new day, and things will get better.

So, I ran and turned my music up loud.  Slowly, I forgot about the knot in my stomach as I focused on my breathing and the rhythmic tapping against the pavement.  And, for someone who really hates running (until it is over), it sure felt good today.

Work has been piling up, and we just discovered a month's worth of lost data that will need to be re-done (deep breaths). In the midst of that, we are looking for a new child care arrangement for the kids.  But, for as overwhelmed as I feel right now, the hardest part for me has been the negative conflict. 

It is sometimes hard to do the right thing, even when you have the right to do another.

Even though I know the truth, it is so hard for me to turn the other cheek--to walk away and forgive without seeking resolution and understanding. As we get older, we learn to listen to those nudges and whispers in our hearts sooner.  Because, it seems that when we put things off to avoid conflict, it only grows bigger when it inevitably comes to light.  

So as I struggle to sift through the pieces, tossing out the scraps and redesigning the puzzle, I am so thankful for the wonderful relationships in my life that provide perspective and support.  That remind me Who I belong to and how I am called to respond (instead of react). 

Tomorrow is a new day and this too shall pass. 

This Too Shall Pass
by Helen Steiner Rice

If I can endure for this minute
Whatever is happening to me,
No matter how heavy my heart is
Or how dark the moment may be

If I can remain calm and quiet
With all the world crashing about me,
Secure in the knowledge God loves me
When everyone else seems to doubt me

If I can but keep on believing
What I know in my heart to be true,
That darkness will fade with the morning
And that this will pass away, too

Then nothing in life can defeat me
For as long as this knowledge remains
I can suffer whatever is happening
For I know God will break all of the chains

That are binding me tight in the darkness
And trying to fill me with fear
For there is no night without dawning
And I know that my morning is near.