And

And

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

MY HUSBAND WASN’T SLEEPING. Over the past several months, a slipped disk had led to increasing numbness in his arm and constant pain. When he did manage to fall asleep, it was in brief snatches that never lasted long. Although I was pregnant and had my own aches and pains to navigate, I watched him with increasing concern as time went on.

Finally, six weeks after our daughter was born, he had surgery to replace the disk. The relief was immediate, and so was his return to sleep. As a family, we rejoiced.

But his experience was a reminder of how much of our life is lived in the “and.” Even in the midst of our joyful expectation over the impending birth of our daughter, he struggled with debilitating, sometimes overwhelming pain. A moment that should have been only good was also terribly hard.

Many things in life aren’t an either-or question. God, in creating the world, referenced the “and” as both complementary and necessary. Heavens and earth. Evening and morning. “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31, ESV).

In life, and represents the tensions that surface in our lives, the ones that present the greatest joys and sorrows. Hard and good. Bitter and sweet. Long days and short years. Opposing forces that can both, nonetheless, be true.

And, sometimes, it represents the choices we have available to us in our response. As Proverbs 18:21 notes, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (ESV). Death and life—both available, both true, but governed by our choices.

It’s a reminder that it’s often how we choose to see the “and” moments in life that influence our perspective, propelling us forward or getting us stuck. Whether we face joyful prosperity or painful adversity, may we choose to be people who see possibilities, rather than challenges, in the “and.”

Lord, help us to see the “and” moments in our lives with new eyes. Help us recognize that there is beauty, even in the tension between two seemingly incompatible forces or circumstances. Amen.

-Kristin

One Good Step: Write down some “and” moments in your life.