The Dark Corner

A wise friend recently told me that I see life like a picture. The majority of the picture is bright and beautiful, with crisp scenery of multiple blessings. A warm home, clothes on our backs. A beautiful daughter, a loving husband. A wonderful, supportive family, a great job. Too many friends to count, a graceful God.

But then there's the corner of the picture. Right there, in the top left, is the dark corner. That's the place where the bad stuff collects.

Amelia is sick again. There's too much to do at work. I'm not happy with my performance at school. Friends are struggling. The government is a mess. Ben and I had a fight. Lazy people are winning; hard workers are overlooked. I don't have time for the things I used to love that filled up my spirit.

If you look quick enough, you might miss it. But most of the time, my eye leads me right to it. It's so small, yet so powerful. It sucks me in when I am weak and low, pulling me away from all things beautiful. It's not necessarily something I choose; I think I was partly born this way. I have a five year-old niece who was born with a dark corner, too. She and I will be having many chats as she grows up, I'm sure.

I hate the dark corner.

But God reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:17 that our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

The picture is still mostly clear; life is good. Joy comes from holding on to the blessings and the grace that greet us each morning as we open up our eyes.

Tonight is dinner out with friends to celebrate a birthday. A filling up of the spirit, for sure.

Amelia is taking a much-needed nap, and I just had a fight with a dirty bathtub and won.

I took this picture at a park a few weeks ago.

See the dark corner?



Me neither.

HOLLA -