This week I have been constantly reminded of this devotion by Rick Warren. I remember reading it several years ago and it was one of those times that it made such an impression on me I can remember where I was sitting when I read it. In summary, it discusses how in life the good and the bad run parallel to each other - just like a set of train tracks. We often seem to think of our lives as a series of highs and lows (mountain tops and valleys if you will) but if we choose to look closer no matter what is going on in your life you can find the good...or the bad...around you. Truthfully you often find exactly what you are looking for. He was discussing this particular year in his life when his wife had cancer but he also described it as the greatest year of his life. Here is a quote from the article:
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
So...I think that part of the reason this has been on my mind this week is the "One Good Thing" blogging prompt from the MTBoS blogging initiative. I have honestly had a crappy week. Now...please let me be honest...I know that compared to many people who have probably had real trials and tragedies to occur in their lives this week my week has been "peachy." However, as a teacher this has been one of those "I feel like I'm in a rut" weeks which makes you question all aspects of your teaching life. HOWEVER...I just had a student to totally make my week. He was in my room to receive some extra help on solving systems of equations because my class was taking a quiz during the next block. He is an extremely bright young man that does not always apply himself; I was very happy that he sought after the additional help! After helping him we were talking and somehow the conversation moved along to where he told me that he watches Eric Thomas videos at home. Eric Thomas has several seasons of what he calls TGIM - Thank God It's Monday and I have played a few for his class. I asked him what he has learned from some of the recent videos he has watched and he was telling me some powerful "nuggets of wisdom" that he had internalized. (I am grinning from ear to ear as I write this!) This was so encouraging to me! I had NO idea that he even liked the TGIM videos or even considered their messages valuable.
So...here is my question to you. Which side of the tracks do you spend the most of your time on? Do you stick on the "positive" side trying to balance only on that rail. Or...do you stay only on the "negative" side? When walking the "railroad tracks" of life I think we could walk easier if we recognize the middle ground between the tracks where you stay aware of both the positive and the negative. Of course, when the trains of adversity come barreling down the tracks you have to jump all the way to one side or the other. I hope my choice is more often on the positive side but at the very least I hope that I can find the middle ground quickly - or at least keep both sides of the track in my view.
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