Long Days

We all have those long days where something important is about to happen, but we aren’t quite sure if it is going to be something good or not. The news is anticipated, often creating a thread of fear. The unknowing, where no sun shines, is a terrible place to live.

I recently read a post by an author I follow. Based on his words, it sounded like he was in for a long day. It read like one full of potential fear, possible dread, mixed in with a dash of sorrow and uncertainty. It was a statement vague enough to make one think about all the different reasons one might have for not desiring this particular long day. Could it be that a doctor’s visit was perhaps waiting in the wings with unknown results? An unscheduled vet appointment for one of three very large dogs? Or perhaps, a loved one’s departure to roam the world yet again? No one knows except the author himself and those he chooses to share his journey with.

My response, however, came swiftly on wings of love for another soul in possible torment. It was this: “Long days are stories in the making, even when we wish they wouldn’t be. Whether filled with fear or anticipation, the beat goes on, and the world still turns. The tune changes, the oddities get odder, and we often wonder where normal lies.”

There was another line that I’ve omitted here, but the above statement is why we are here, me writing, you reading. Our lives are an unfolding story. The good, the bad, and the in-between. Authors have mastered a way to transfer events and unravel them in twisty turns, and tasty morsels for all to read, but each of us is living a story right this very second.

We are living in a crazy world right now where the impossible and unthinkable are unravelling in real time, all the while pretending to be normal occurrences. One would think the last wars would have ended it all, but hatred thrives on envy, greed and lust, and lies become unimaginable truths to the misguided masses. I expect during previous wars and dictatorships our ancestors also thought they were living the unthinkable. It seems history has a way of repeating itself for those who have yet to learn the lessons left behind, and the rest of us are caught somewhere in the in-between place of knowing, watching and trying to figure out how to survive through it all.

Every one of us has had a long day, or several, for varying reasons. There is no avoiding them. We are all people riding the crest of emotions that roll with the tide of uncertainty and fear. How we survive comes down to who we are, and how we were built. Some give in to despair and spiral downward in whatever way they choose. Others hoist up their pants and carry on, hoping and walking towards a better day.

Those who know me already understand my next statement. I live in a world where fear, uncertainty and sorrow collide (on the daily right now), but I slather it all in the hope, love and peace that only my faith can provide. For I know that lighter days lie just beyond the horizon. The setting of the sun paints the sky with a promise of a better tomorrow, and God will see me through each and every long day until he calls me home.

So, while the days are long indeed right now, we survive on the promise given and carry on. We pray for those who are struggling, those who lead our countries, and our families. Brave and often false smiles are plastered on our faces so as not to alarm those who happen across our paths. We inhale, exhale, and exist in time and space until a new day dawns.

Here are my final thoughts. Life is too short to worry over all the long days. They will come and go as they are meant to. We will fight and pray our way through them, and the sun will rise again on the morrow. Be brave. Have faith. Hold hope in your heart, for as the song says, yonder glows a new and glorious morn.

May your long days be few and far between. May your days and nights be full of the joy, love and peace of our Lord, and may He help you weather any storm that comes your way. Amen.

Free inspirational or motivational posts can be found on the inspirational page of Leslie’s website.