Living life as it is

“Life is not about avoiding broken eggs.  Life is about presence (broken eggs and all)” – Terry Hershey

There’s so many problems, so many things to be fixed.  We live in fear of what is and what’s to come.  And meanwhile, we spend our lives constantly focusing on the future.

Here’s the deal:  Your presence is in the present.  And if you can’t enjoy and appreciate what God has given you in the present, you will reside in constant misery.

The challenge is to appreciate the present, imperfections and all.  Sure, the broken eggs may be a mess, but God’s love is most important when we’re in disarray.  That’s also the time when we can recognize our fragility and reliance on others.

Here’s the long picture:  You’re born.  You do stuff.  You die.  Everybody goes through this cycle and it never changes.

Depressing, huh?  When you look at the rest of your life – you “do stuff” and then you die – it seems almost pointless.  Clearly the meaning of life isn’t there.

Where is it, then?  In relationships.  In the impact we have on others.  In how we are able to help each other on our intertwined journeys.

And our journeys are messy.  I happen to believe that this is exactly God’s design, because it’s only through the messy parts that we experience why love is necessary.  Although it seems paradoxical, glory is revealed through hardship.  Why would you have any need to be lifted up if you hadn’t fallen?

Through our relationships, each of us is put here as a gift for each other – not to avoid difficulty, but to experience difficulty and help each other through it.  That’s the glorious work of God.