Count It All Joy... James1:2

 Have you ever heard the saying, “I’m never down. I’m either up or getting up.”? The premise is really good, nice, warm and fuzzy even, but totally BOGUS! There are times you truly are down! I have had times in my life when I was down. Really down! When the doctor told me I had cancer, my world plummeted. I thought how could I have gotten cancer! I never smoked, I never had sex, I never took drugs, I never did anything to cause cancer! Why me?!  My world crashed when my dad, developed dementia and died from related complications.  Then two years later my mom died from Covid. And my world crashed again. There were 2 parent sized holes left in my heart.  You say, man you have had a rough time! I’m not telling you this for sympathy. My point is these and other situations will cause times when you are down. Truly down! It is a part of the human existence.  It is called life. However you cannot spend your life down wallowing in despair, pain, and yes, at times, pity....

 Back in the eighties there was a commercial “Time to make the donuts.” The donut maker would go to make the donuts then come back home saying I made the donuts . He did this so much that eventually he met himself coming back from making donuts as he was leaving to make the donuts. He started out all spry and upright. He ended up all worn out and dragging. We never see if he got to enjoy a donut or anything else. This became his whole life.  In our daily struggle, getting up, going to work, doing chores, taking care of family, the list goes on and on. We make that list. Check off the things we get done. Write a new list for tomorrow of the leftovers and new chores for that day. I even add things to my list that I completed just so I can check it off! We know we need to spend time with God but it becomes a part of our to do list. A “have to” instead of a “get to”. It becomes a drudgery that we squeeze into our lives. Something to check off our list of done things. We breathe a ...