In the last seven days life has been full of choices – to see my glass as half empty or half full.
Truth is, a culmination of various events put me in a ‘what next’ frame of mind.
These included my daughter being pushed off the road by an oncoming driver which resulted in her car being a write off!
A blocked sewer!
An officious letter informing me I was in breach of the law regarding parking access!
A 25% burn to my hand!
And then the same daughter being attacked while driving my car, resulting in considerable damage to it!
! or ?
It seemed as though my glass was clearly half empty, but then I realised that this was only half the story.
What about the fact that the police were so professional?
That the water board came out at night and got things flowing again?
That an admin error was recognised regarding access rights, so I’m not unlawful?
That in the UK we have ready access to medical services?
That strangers stopped to help my daughter?
So many things that make, as the psalmist says, ‘my cup overflow’.
Once I started to tell myself the whole story and noticed the fine details, my perspective changed. There was more going on than initially appeared, and that’s what gives my life true shape.
I believe that nothing can separate us from the presence of God, and so, in the words of a song, there are ‘10,000 reasons for our hearts to sing’. It’s not about being superficial and pretending that all is sweetness and light, but about going deeper.
In the words of Albert Camus:
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.
And that makes me happy.
For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me,
within me, there’s something stronger
– something better, pushing right back.”
All this has prompted me to fill in the gaps, and ‘colour in’ the black and white sketch of life that I was making. Standing back, I can now see a more complete, colourful picture. Just like the rainbow that brightened up the sky this week too…
Truth is… ‘O my soul, bless God, don’t forget a single blessing!’ Psalm 103:2
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