Good Miserables

I hate, ooops, we don't use that word in our family. I detest, abhor, intensely dislike being cold. I am a happy girl right now because I'm warm. I also have a full tummy, And to top it off, I have a hot cup of coffee at my side. Yesterday afternoon was a different story. In spite of wearing a long sleeved turtleneck shirt, a fuzzy sweater, hooded sweatshirt, knit cap, and hooded winter jacket, I was freezing. So were all the other spectators at the Regional Jr. High Track Meet at the beach. A brisk wind from the west completely cancelled out whatever heat the sun might have been producing.

I would love to say I was miserable, which I was, but having family share my blanket on our claimed section of turf by the finish line alleviated the pain somewhat. So did the fun of texting updates to my daughter and son. "Won the triple jump 32' 1.5"" or "69.9 seconds in the 400. Won again" By 7:00 p.m. I was more than ready to drag myself to my car and head home. The joy from all the teams' strong efforts and my granddaughter's four wins was exhilarating. It warmed my heart. The car's heater warmed my stiff joints and chilled,bones. Yes, I was miserable, but it was a good miserable.

"A good miserable"? You've got to be kidding. That is as oxymoronic as they comes  (if oxymoronic wasn't a word before, it is now). But I think there is a lot of truth in "good miserable."  For me, it describes enduring the uncomfortable in order to experience the joy found in it. It describes living through the trials while also living in God's presence and grace. It describes working through the pain to achieve the gain. It describes being blessed and stretched at the same time.

There are so many choices to make in life. One of them is finding God's "good" in our perceived  "miserable". It is there. The other choice is letting the perceived"miserable" grow until it completely hides God's "good". That can happen too.

Letting God's "good" change my perceived "miserables",
Jan