Today, I am thankful.
The sun shone all day and there was evidence of tiny yellow flowers budding on the barren branches of our tree. My daughters painted spring flowers this morning (thank you, Pinterest!) and delivered them to a neighbor’s mailbox, chatting to various people we met on the way (from a safe distance!). We celebrated our second week of ‘homeschool’ eating Drive Thru donuts on the swing in our yard, and my husband and I ate Thai food for dinner and enjoyed a glass of wine a friend had dropped off for us earlier in the week. All in all it was a pretty good day—a pretty good day in the midst of a pretty terrible few weeks.
Let’s not sugarcoat it. The daily news briefings are grim, fear and anxiety is rife. This new routine is relentless and exhausting, scary and unsettling for every single one of us. And there is no end in sight.
BUT, in the midst of the storms, there ARE the rainbows—and I’m not just talking about the ones displayed prominently in windows all over the Capital District and beyond. No, sprinkled throughout the day, amidst the difficulty and the weariness and the ever present fear, there is good, too. Sweet, unexpected blessings for us to notice, savor, and give thanks for.
These past few days God has been impressing Hebrews 12:1-3 on my heart: “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…Consider him who endured much…so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Persevering under these conditions can seem like an impossible task. And yet, we must—for what is the alternative? So we look to Jesus— the One uniquely qualified to guide and equip us through our present sufferings, offering up daily His strength, hope, courage, and yes, even joy.
Tomorrow may not be a great day, or even a good one. But if I keep my eyes fixed on Him then I CAN keep going. I CAN persevere. One day at a time.
So, let’s lift our eyes and thank Him for the blessings of today, for our rainbows in the storm. Let His goodness and faithfulness shine through the darkest of days, and let His example give us the strength to face tomorrow.
