I try not to brag, but I took a pretty good picture this morning. Okay, it's a fine picture. It doesn't look like the work of a toddler, so I'm happy. You can see for yourself how picturesque it is: the lovely brick and trees holding firm while a fresh, gorgeous layer of snow encases the whole street. It's pretty.
But, let me explain something to my fellow Floridians. Snow is pretty, and snow is powerful. Snow can, frankly, be a total pain in the rear - whether your rear is just freezing to death or smarting after you wiped out on a patch of ice. Cars get stuck, busses are late, shoes get wet and walkways become arduous obstacle courses. Oh, and its COLD outside!
Life is like that picture. It looks beautiful. And yet, it doesn't always feel that way.
After snapping the picture on my (long, slightly treacherous, and very cold) commute this morning, I realized that so much of life is like that picture. It looks beautiful. And yet, it doesn't always feel that way. It feels hard and long. It's cold and wet and inconvenient. People look in from the outside and exclaim how lovely it looks, but you just want to move on to the next season. Marriage is like this. Singleness is like this. School, work, work-from-home, stay-at-home, youth, age: you name it.
The truth is, that it was a lovely day. The sun was shining, the wind wasn't too bad, and the snow is fresh and gorgeous. I got a nice workout walking to the bus stop. I was warm enough in my coat. I've got a nice day planned. Those negative aspects that I previously mentioned are also true. You can always snap a pretty picture, and you can always find a cause to grumble. It's our choice.
I don't really have a scripture for today's post, but I did think about the classic verse: "But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7
Other people see what our life is like from the outside: but they don't know who we really are or what we truly feel. We can't expect them to see us, but we can know that God does.
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