Perspective

The other day I got up at some ridiculously early hour and got ready for school. I made coffee and put it in a travel cup to hook over my bicycle handlebars. I opened the front door and groaned when I saw everything wet. Great, a 5k ride in the rain. I stepped out and just about wiped out on the sidewalk. It wasn't rain, it was ice. Coating everything. I made my way to my bike and got all wrapped and ready and then went to get on.
Whoosh! The bike slid out from under me and I crashed onto the pavement. I picked myself up and debated trying to catch a bus to school.... no, I would be really late. I walked my bike a ways and then climbed on and started riding, closer to the center of the road where it had been salted.
The bitter cold wind blustered around me as I biked and I had to tuck my chin down and try to bike in a straight line. 7:00 Saturday morning and I was exhausted from staying up late studying and not feeling too fond of the universe in general.
I made it to school and road up onto the sidewalk to get into the parking lot. The moment my wheels hit the sidewalk, the bike slid out from under me and I went flying, my coffee cup bouncing on the pavement. At least this time I'd fallen on the other side of my butt. I picked myself up, and the coffee, and slid my bike towards the railing to lock it up. One of my classmates came out the door.
"Class is canceled." He said blankly. "We don't have anything until 12:30.
Well, I was hot by that point. I said a few angry things that I shouldn't have said,like why a Dr. with a 4-wheel-drive mercedes would cancel class because of the bad weather when I had biked all the way here.
"I can give you a ride home." My classmate offered. "I'll put your bike in my trunk."
We started towards his car and suddenly his feet went out from under him, his shoe went one way and his books another.
We made it to the car and got the bike in, and he drove me home. The house was cold and lonely and I sat down and studied for a few hours. I was doing practice questions online and scoring around 40%, and the more I did, the more frustrated I got. I was glad to get back to class in the afternoon, but quickly found out that instead of the 3-hour session I was expecting, we were scheduled for several hours. The lecturer was boring, her English wasn't very good, I had a stomach ache, and I hadn't realized we'd be in class for so long so I hadn't brought any snacks or drinks or even money to buy them.
By the time I got home at 7:30 that night I didn't want to talk to anyone, which was just as well because I was all alone. The fridge was almost empty but I decided that what I really needed, to relieve stress, was to have a warm bath. I went into the bathroom, and because the landlord uses the tub to wash his dogs, I cleaned it out. I was down on my hands and knees scrubbing it, and then I cleaned the sinks and toilet, and my back was aching by the time I was ready to jump in. I undressed and lit a candle and then went to put the plug in, only to find that there was no plug. I looked everywhere but couldn't find it, so finally I just climbed in and turned on the shower and huddled under the weak stream. The hot water was out after about 5 minutes so I jumped out and got into my pajamas and jumped into bed to keep warm with my textbooks.
Some days are just like that, you know?
The next morning I had decided to go to church and it was snowing and I rode my bike a few kilometers in the wind until I got to the church, and locked up my bike with fingers numb from the cold, and came inside into the warmth.
Instantly I felt a calm come over me. Someone showed me where to sit and it was toasty in there and the people began to sing and worship God. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Here I was among family. The pastor was talking about the love of God, and afterwards someone prayed for me, and then I got some coffee, and I met some young women who were there, and they invited me to go for lunch with them. They drove my bike home and then we went out to a little restaurant and sat and chatted for hours and ate Mexican tortillas. They were such nice people and I felt like I could talk to them about anything.
When I got home that afternoon I did laundry and cooked and chatted with my landlord for a bit and then had a nap and then called my family and some friends. I felt like a new person. I felt rejuvenated.
Some days are just like that too, you know?
Today class was interesting and I drank some delicious coffee which made everything better, and I am wearing my favorite hoodie and it is snowing outside, beautiful white flakes drifting against the building. I know it will suck to ride home in the dark, I know it will suck to come into a cold dark house and try to make something to eat and stay up late trying to stuff my brain full of information, but that's all part of life.
That's what we have grace for, which enables us not just to struggle through the ups and downs, but to walk through with a smile on our faces. Tomorrow may be better. Or it may be much much worse. (It probably will be worse since it's supposed to be colder...) But one thing stays the same, here in Champaign, back home in Vancouver, wherever in the world we might be and whatever we are doing. God is still the same. He's still good.
I remember getting an email from a friend who was going through a very difficult situation with his job and marriage. My dear sister, he wrote, unfortunately the situation has not changed at all. But praise God, he has not changed at all either! He's still just as faithful and good as he always has been!