Vicissitudes of Life

Have you ever been sitting in a street corner Italian coffee shop in Rome on a flawless day reflecting on the vicissitudes of life and the ancient timeless quality of humanity while sipping your perfect espresso when suddenly an annoyingly small SmartCar comes screeching onto the curb, slams into your table, throws espresso everywhere, scatters all your most brilliant thoughts, smashes you to the ground and you wake up in a hospital three days later with no real memory of how it had all happened but you laugh a little and cry a little about the unending creativity of the vicissitudes of life?

Neither have I.

But I think I might know what it would feel like, and I think there are quite a few people who do as well. Because life is full of sudden and surprising change. So much so that we can expect it, and should prepare ourselves for it.

I'm seeing the value of having a core set of ideas about the world bear fruit now, in one of my families deepest trials. Because it has been ingrained in all of us that humans struggle with sin, that we are each horrific sinners (whether we realize it or not yet), and that it's incredible that God has the level of grace that He does. Because of this, I can extend this grace of God to others, and this understanding gives me context for dealing with the sin of others within my family. Granted, I still need to process in a healthy manner, going through the emotions of betrayal, anger, sorrow, loss, frustration, empathy - they all need to be there. But beneath all these emotions can be a core conviction that humans will be humans, that God is still God, and his message of grace will keep being affirmed throughout all the vicissitudes of life.