It’s been a good year

I have a friend who will often respond to the question, “How are you doing?” with “I’m stressed but blessed!”

The first time I heard him say that I must admit I was a little taken aback. It sounded so superficial and shallow. But the more I heard him say it, the more I warmed up to it.

I know this guy. He really does have a stressful life. But he also is a boundless fountain of optimism, hope, and faith. He truly lives a stressed but blessed life.

Life is full of apparent contradictions like that.

You can watch and pray.

You can worry and work.

You can have fears and be fearless.

You can struggle with doubts and still move forward confidently.

You can walk the floors at night and walk boldly in the daylight.

And yes…

You can go through a year like 2020 and still, by the grace of God, truthfully say, “It was a good year.”

The ONE THING for today: Swallow real hard, square your shoulders, tune out all the bad news for a moment, and dare to look for the good and then courageously declare, “2020 was a good year.” Or if you like this better: “In 2020, I was stress, but also blessed.”