Through

Over the course of a week, its funny the places in which we find beauty. From the struggles of chemistry to the relief of a workout, in the midst of grueling effort and in the moments of relaxed satisfaction. The incredible spectacle of bare winter branches against a still and golden cloudy sunset. Laughing at the simple pleasures in the quirks of our peers. Everywhere you look, there's some joy to be found. You just gotta know what you're looking at. Sure there are times we aren't as fond of, but we get through, and the outcome is always worth the trouble we put in to get out. As stressed out as we may get with our work, as pressured we get by deadlines, and as heartbroken we get from those around us, the troubles we face are hardly anything held up to those of our predecessors.

Consider the legacy of the apostle Paul. The man rose to a position of governmental authority in Rome, persecuted the early church, and still managed to get out and be revered as a biblical hero. It wasn't exactly a pity party after he got out either, while he dealt with his life became a special multicourse meal: specifically, he received an appetizer of numerous imprisonments, seemingly endless beatings, and life on the limb, followed by a main course of 195 whiplashes, 3 rod beatings, 3 shipwrecks, a stoning, concluded by a delicious side of labor, starvation, freezing temperatures, and finally to top off his plate an overlying concern for the development of the early church. He lived a life as the George Washington of Christianity with the torture-resistance of Jack Bauer and the peaceful persistence of Gandhi. He could have even won the Medal of Honor for his "gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty," were he not considered to be a national criminal and traitor.

In light of these trials, he maintained a positive attitude and upheld the fighting nature of love. He used his cell time to write letters to establish foundations for our world's earliest and churches, and none of us would be where we are today without his God-fueled efforts. With faith, hope, and love, he endured the worst of the worst and came out on top, shifting the course of history forever. Some say that what he did made major way for the collapse of the Roman Empire, which isn't hard to believe in analysis of Christianity's penetrative qualities that extended so far as to affect the Emperor Constantine, who served as a patron and protector of the church between the years of 306-337, and eventually Flavius Theodosius who made Christianity the official religion of Rome in 380. Merely 30 years later, "the day the Mother of the World was Killed" came, securing Rome's fate once and for all.

Greater things have come and greater things are yet to be done. Why do we get so discouraged by the minor trials in our lives when so much greater persecution and destruction has come before us? The scale at which the world is presented to us, especially in America, is radically smaller than it has been historically. Thus, why should we not always "rejoice in our sufferings" as Paul suggested in the midst of his unimaginable hardship? Take delight in the beauty of life, whether it comes in the darkness or the light, there is always some joy for us to find in things. Treasure whatever comes your way. You only get one shot at life here on this Earth. Don't let a day that goes by dissatisfy you, dishearten you, or drag you down in any way or another. 

As a wise unknown author once said, 

"Every day may not be good, but there's some good in every day."