I read these words somewhere recently and they’ve been tumbling around in my mind in a way that’s mostly helpful to my tired heart.

I look at my face after a long day, my ultra wear lipstick (that’s actually some sort of paint I think) I insist on putting on under my mask is worn off in weird spots and my are eyes weary from all the extra pressure on my eyeballs right now as they try to be extra expressive so people know I have emotions despite most of my face being jauntily covered by a cute piece of fabric and my skin…oh my friends let’s talk about our skin. No one ever tells you that pandemics come with mask induced pimples. Thanks for nothing once again 2020.

But this is how things are right now.

Yet we’re getting up each day and we’re doing the next thing that needs to be done. Mostly.

And if we don’t that thing will hang out waiting for us in tomorrow. There is no need to worry about tomorrow because if there is anything 2020 has taught us it’s that anything can happen.

So we live in the moment, only tackling today because today has plenty in it and also when you’ve been asked to course correct this often you learn to count on little and just be ready for whatever.

There is freedom in living this was strangely. And there is still joy. The joy might be hiding just behind a steaming pile of sweat inducing anxiety and a boatload of exhaustion but if we remember this is just how things are right now it’s a little easier to see the joy.

I find myself most days caught between peace in my heart and just utter sorrow that this is how things are right now.

But yet, Gods promises hold true in all times…times like these that are confusing and exhausting and just plain hard and in all the easier times that came before this when we took for granted sitting near to our friends and sharing bites of our cheesecake and hugging people we just met.

God knows this is just how things are right now. He knows we are hurting. He is here. He is the one thing we can count on in today and in all the tomorrows. He exists beyond circumstance. Beyond politics. Beyond sickness. Beyond us.

He wants us to remember this is just how things are right now. They won’t be like this forever. And He promises someday…someday he has a kingdom ready for us where each day we will rise in awe, unable to take in that THIS IS HOW THINGS ARE RIGHT NOW. And forever. We will be home and it will take our breath away.

And how amazing is that?