“Let hope keep you joyful, in trouble stand firm, persist in prayer.”

by chuckofish

The other day I was making the pleasant block and a half walk home from a tiresome day at work. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, my sunglasses barely made a dent in toning down the brightness. It was hot. I couldn’t wait to get my nice, cool apartment building, put my key in the historic lock that turns the wrong way, and let myself into my clean and spacious apartment.

And I had this odd moment that felt almost out-of-body, like, ‘What if you were walking 20 blocks home in the summer heat and then you’d only get to be in that dark, shabby, one-room apartment where there was barely an inch that you couldn’t see from another and that had only an old window unit for cooling?’ I think I actually shuddered remembering what it felt like to be in that NYC apartment.

Somehow, in thinking about that contrast I found a sense of calm settling over me. The reporter who sent me that out-of-nowhere email that was unnecessarily rude and unprofessional vanished from my psyche. The daily COVID-19 stressors dissipated. Worrying about the future didn’t seem so necessary.

It’s all going to be okay. I am in the right place. There’s no need to pound those skittles. It felt like a little nudge from above, reminding me to stop worrying. The ever-present struggle to be a Mary when, despite my name, I act like a Martha.

In other news, I heard this song on the radio this weekend and I think you’ll like it.

*Romans 12:12

Happy Wednesday!