UP-DOWNS

365 Days of Thanksliving — Day 186

Up! Down! Up! Down! Up… and down. Everybody, do it with me! Up! Down! Up, then down. You out of breath yet? Whose knees are creakin'?

Now, if you’re guessing we’re talking about calisthenics, you’d be wrong. Nope, this ain’t some 5 a.m. bootcamp grinder torture. I’m long done with those days.

And if you’re secretly hoping we’re going back to worshipping the old-fashioned way—ya know: sit, stand, kneel, sit-stand, then sit-stand-sit again—as in, all us Christian soldiers doing the age-old workout in the holy-grinder (aka the Sanctuary)? Nope, that’s not it either. You can wipe your forehead in relief now. Hahaha!

No sir. The up-downs I’m talkin' about tonight weren’t physical or spiritual. They were virtual and emotional. Our broadband internet at home, the office, and probably the whole town was more down than up today. Just when you’d sit down to be productive, poof—down it goes again. It was unpredictable enough that Danielle decided to burn six hours of PTO because she just couldn't rely on the connection to get her work done. As for me? Well, it made prepping for an upcoming funeral loads of fun.

What else can ya do when life hands ya lemons but make a pitcher of lemonade? That’s exactly what my wife did, and I commend her for it. Honestly, as frustrating as the whole ordeal was, it gave us a good bunch of laughs.

Sometimes it’s tough to be thankful when those lemons start rolling in. But isn’t that exactly what we’re called to do? I’m sure I’ve quoted this scripture before, but it's always a solid reminder. Paul wrote:

“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” — 1 Thess 5:16–18.

Give thanks in everything, St. Paul said. Ya know, he’s right, isn't he? Sure, the internet was down for a big chunk of the workday, but that just meant our provider was actively fixing the problem. When I called to poke around, they told me a piece of equipment had failed and they were hustling to replace the busted tech. And wouldn't ya know it, they got the job done before the workday wrapped up.

While the whole thing was an inconvenience, in the grand scheme of life, it barely registers as a speed bump. Honestly, I’m sure it’ll completely drain from my memory by the end of the month. Overall, I’m just grateful for the technology that allows Danielle and me to work from home—even when it goes down, then up, then down and up again from time to time.

Drop me a line below: What do you do when life hands you lemons and you find yourself doing emotional calisthenics?