If there is one thing I have learned over the years it is that life in this
world is bittersweet. It always has been and it always will be. I realized this
early on and everyday I see further evidence of it. It is something that we all
just have to accept.
When I was a boy I cherished my books and toys, but then I lost them all when
our house burned down in the middle of the night. Growing up I loved the
isolated woodlands and meadows that were my playground, yet more often than not
I found myself playing alone. In school I found learning fun and easy, but I
never was as popular as I wanted to be. When I played on the sports teams I
loved the fun and friendship we had, but I spent most of my time sitting on the
bench. In college I enjoyed the excitement of being out on my own, yet my heart
still ached for the love and comforts of home.
As I grew into adulthood I fell in love and had my heart broken. I graduated
college, but I never gained the success I thought I would get. I had three
beautiful children that taught me so much about love, yet I watched my two sons
struggle daily with Autism. I cherished the love that my Mom, Nana, and Dad gave
me then I watched them all die before I was 50.
Yes, life is bittersweet. It is full of ups and downs, twists and turns,
triumphs and tragedies.
Whether life makes us bitter or sweet, however, is up to us. God loves us and He
put us here to love each other. This is easy when life is sweet, but it can be a
struggle when life is bitter. Still, it is during the tough times that we grow
the strongest. It is during the bitter times when our sweetness and love are
most needed. It is during the dark days that we learn the most about our own
goodness and light. Don’t let life make you bitter then. Stay strong. Love much.
Live well.
Share your goodness and light everyday and make this world a sweeter place for
us all.
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.