Shadows, Cracks, Dog Faces and Dead Cell Phones

I've recently had a few interesting run-ins with tender mercies.

On the way to work a few weeks ago, on a day that was expected to be particularly deplorable, I was sitting at a red light next to a car with a large dog sitting in the passenger seat.  As the light turned green, the driver of the car made a sharp left turn, causing the dog's face to suddenly crash into the window.  I laughed out loud at the sight and went on my way.  Multiple times that day during stressful situations, that ridiculous image of the dog's smashed face flashed through my mind, temporarily returning me to sanity.  I'm convinced I was meant to see it.

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"Remember, the shadows are just as important as the light." -Jane Eyre

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More recently, I've struggled (not seriously) with a mild disappointment/discouragement in my current life situation.  I mentioned in an evening prayer that I needed help recognizing the people in my life who care about me.

The next day was brutal. Work was awful, tornadoes were sweeping through Oklahoma (my home), I was moderately ill... and to top off the day, my cell phone was found underneath a bag of melting ice... nonoperational.

There's a line in the movie Tommy Boy toward the end after all the mishaps of their journeying when David Spade and Chris Farley sit down on a bench... and it breaks.  The character looks up and says, "Could've done without that."  That thought had gone through my mind several times that day.

Word of my misfortune must have gotten around, because the next few days were full of notes of concern, treats and other thoughtful/helpful surprises... from people who cared.  The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Maybe it's true. Maybe I 'could've done without' being yelled at by crazy patients or the inconvenience of a broken cell phone... but that's just what I needed to appreciate the kindness of the amazing people around me.  Maybe it's the shadowy times that make the rest seem brighter.  It's the cracks of disappointment that let a little hopeful light through.  Perhaps, then, I need to learn to recognize the tender mercies hidden in the discouragement. After all:

"When it's dark enough, you can see the stars."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson