The Silver Linings

So something they never tell you about writing a daily blog post--how easy it can be to put your thoughts down on paper and push the publish button. I’m horrible at it. I’ll be the first one to admit that I’ve tried starting a blog before and it just ends up me sharing other people’s thoughts. Which is okay, but it’s not really what blogs were intended to do. I’m using it to help get my creative juices flowing before tackling an even bigger project for school.Alas, today’s Word Press post prompt is called, “Silver Linings,” and asks that I write about something I consider “ugly” -- war, violence, failure, hatred -- but to try and find beauty, or a sense of hope, in my thoughts. I think I’ve got this.War is inevitable in a sinful society. There’s simply no getting around it and at the end of the day, I thank God the Father for his dearest son, Jesus Christ. Yes, I’m a Christian, and proud of it! Even though we may feel as though our whole world is crumbling down around us, there is a silver lining to it all: we’re saved by grace alone through faith in Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection three days later.There’s hope! Whenever you’re feeling downtrodden, don’t fret! Christ is there, here, everywhere, just take a moment and pray. He’ll hear your prayers, but he may not answer your prayers in the way in which you might suspect.My wife and I were going through a tough time in the first year of our marriage. I prayed to God for help and he handed me a deployment downrange. We couldn’t believe it. Was space, thousands of miles apart, really what our marriage needed? We didn’t think so, but God apparently did. And you know? We’ve grown increasingly closer ever since I returned. I read a lot of books on how to be a better husband and finally had time to read a few of the books my wife had asked me to read. I made it my mission to come back a changed man. One that focused on my wife’s needs rather than so focused on my own.Now I’m not saying I’ve been perfect since my return, but we’re definitely as close now as we’ve ever been and grow closer in every moment we experience together, whether in person or not. I say this because while I haven’t been deployed downrange recently, I’ve gone on a few temporary assignments that have sent me miles away from a week to up to two months at a time. But the heart grows fonder. I love my wife. Thanks God for deploying me so I would realize just how much I do.The silver linings do indeed contain a sense of hope.Ben