The other day, I was looking for some of my old poetry and I found myself scrolling through my old blog. My little Blogspot.com that I wrote on semi-consistently from about age 15-18, and that I poured so much of my soul into. One of the last posts I ever did on there was a cliche “18 things I learned in 18 years” post on my 18th birthday, and reading over it was an interesting and sort of enlightening experience. But it was the last thing, #18, that really hit me, in fact I think my jaw may have dropped open when I read it. A statement of simple faith, written with the poetic conviction of a simpler time in my life. Here’s what I wrote:
Life is beautiful. Even though it can be really really awful and hard and dark sometimes, there is a redemption and a healing that runs through the very fibers of who we are, through the very soul of nature, that shows us that the story of sacrifice and rescue and love will never get old. We will always cheer for the underdog, we will always want to see the darkness turn into light. And we are that way because Jesus Christ did it first. He is the conqueror that shows us what is possible.
We are in an uncertain time in the world right now. The air is thick with fear as we navigate a global crisis that has made so many normal aspects of life feel almost surreal. So many are feeling the lack of financial security that this new issue provides, others are worried about their health and the health of those they love. It’s a scary time, but amidst all of it I’ve suddenly arrived at a peace in this storyline repeating itself again, this story of darkness waiting to be rescued and turned into light. I’ve been reminded of the things that are most important to me, and what I need to do to keep those things at the center of my life. Today my husband and I had “church” in our home together and it reminded me how important it is to keep that perspective, to remember who is rescuing us, whose love makes it possible to feel joy even in the middle of a dark and scary time, and to remember that there is hope.
If you are having a hard time finding hope, go outside. Look up at the sky, breathe in the air and feel the sun on your skin, take a moment to marvel at the precarious perfection of the universe and the way it all holds itself together. Take a moment to appreciate your role in it all, the fact that your heart is pumping blood through your veins and your lungs are expanding and contracting to keep you breathing. Take a moment to remember what you have to be grateful for and the people you love the most. And no matter what you believe in, whether you believe firmly in a God who created you, or a cosmic universe connection or that science will always back you up, take a deep breath and remember that your ability to have something to believe in itself is a miracle. Your ideas, your thoughts, your imagination is all part of the beautiful miracle of life, a continuous circle of rebirth and creation that hasn’t gone away for thousands and thousands of years and will keep going for as long as it all keeps working. Remember this, and know that inherently, despite it’s imperfections and problems, life is beautiful.
My Pocketful of Poetry 