I love tender mercies. Some people say it's when the universe aligns. Others say it's God's protection or promotion. Whatever you call it, isn't it wonderful to be alive? Even when it gets rough around the edges--or even straight through to your core. I find it fascinating how if we just get up, make a move, believe in ourselves that something good is bound to happen--often just in time.
My kids like a band named Switchfoot. I do too. They don't sound dissimilar among many pop bands out there, but they're different . To me, this is because they have some really positive "don't give up" lyrics. I also like them because they're from Encinitas, surfers and all around great guys. The 2 men responsible for forming the band have a dad who's a Pastor. So I'm assuming they believe in Jesus Christ, whose message and example has always been one of integrity, peace and love--as well as faith in God among many other good things like humility, honesty and perseverance or put like one of my old Mormon faith's idioms "enduring to the end." Perseverance is a wonderful word among words. So is endure.
Anyway, given all this around the life of Christ, I find it strange so many wars have been fought and people murdered under the auspices of his name. So ironic. Christ was the Prince of Peace--that is if you believe he even lived. There apparently is very little evidence that this is so, if any at all. I guess this is where faith plays in to it. To believe in something against all odds has a kind of strength and perseverance around it that's beyond worldly doubt. It's a bit magical, faith. Like going against the crowd, swimming against the tide, keeping a stiff upper lip--or even slow and steady wins the race. At any rate, if you know anything about the life of Christ, whether you believe or not, his life is certainly a symbol of displaying fortitude and stoicism in the face of adversity. Something I've had to get better and better at with each passing year. How about you? Good thing adversity isn't a day to day occurrence, but it sure can blindside you sometimes. Right?
So back to Switchfoot, in one of their songs the chorus goes, "I dare you to move. I dare you to move. I dare you to pick yourself up off the floor. I dare you to move like today never happened." Like today never happened...the good news about a very bad today is tomorrow is coming and tomorrow isn't today. Tomorrow is new, fresh, potential tabula rasa. This isn't to say OK burn all those bridges. No. It's to say simply this: Learn from today, live in it actively and move forward. Pick yourself up off the floor with dignity because you deserve it. Just lift little by little. Pick yourself up. Move. It may be the only way to improve tomorrow.
I can't promise you miracles in your life, or even proof that Christ lived, but I can tell you something good is around the corner, perhaps in the form of a tender mercy--or maybe even something better. All I know is it's there because I have faith that every cloud has a silver lining. Have faith. It's magic. Yours is a life worth living. The universe will align, it always does, tender mercies are all around you. Look for them and give thanks. Anyway, that's how I see it sometimes.
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