Tentative
Letter T
My Monday’s newsletter (which goes out by email) featured the letter T this week; I’ve been going through the alphabet and finding inspirational thoughts with each letter. So we talked about trust, and tea for two, just for fun.
But another T word started surfacing as I wrote out my weekly schedule. Beside every entry was written, *tentative*.
For last week Covid paid a visit to our house, and while my loved one is recovering and out of isolation I continue to monitor and test daily.
As I pondered the word, I realized again how much we take for granted. I thought of Ukraine, over six months of war, and each day uncertain. They don’t know if they can sleep in their own beds or will be in a bomb shelter. They don’t know if they can buy gas or food, or if they can, can they afford it? Life is fragile and tentative. Many have fled, as we know; others are finding a way to live, one day at a time.
We think of Syria, of Lebanon, of many parts of Africa where war, draught and hunger are part of every day existence. Tentative is normal.
As we have lived through the Pandemic, we too have experienced what it means to not know what tomorrow brings. Of course this is always true, we don’t know. But our culture tends to foster entitlement thinking, and we can be sorely disappointed when our plans and dreams don’t materialize.
I can easily live in anxiety. I have tried to overcome it, but it too is a plague, a shadow that I live with. Some of us are more bent that way, I love the story of Winnie the Pooh, the animal family with distinct characteristics. I like to think I am easy going like Winnie, but also flustered at times. Will I run out of honey? There are days I might feel like Eeyore, rather depressed, and thankful for friends who cheer me up. And I always am in awe of Tigger and all his energy, but honestly, he can be exhausting. 🙂
It is easy to become paralyzed by fear or anxiety. In my pondering this week I was challenged to live confidently, even in uncertain times. We can live with confidence knowing that we are not alone.
Tentative yet Confident
I don’t do life with my own strength, but in continuing to trust in the One who created me, loves me, who gives me strength, courage, and yes, confidence to live each day.
