He is Risen

 Listened to the Easter sermon (online; Presbyterian; I'm a converted Catholic, raised in evangelic Baptist-y, speaking in tongues, etc.) this morning. Some of it was usual, familiar. You have to play to the Christmas/Easter crowd, you know. 

The sermon's theme was 'But'. (and, you know- a guy dies and rises from the dead - pretty good story). 'But', as in the the bad things that happen in our life - death, loss, failures - always seem to us to be like a sentence with a period. 

The end.

The sermon's point was that, in that story, and in the bad things that happen to us, with faith, there's always a comma, or if you will, a 'BUT'. 

He has died. BUT- He has risen. 

I'm in no way comparing myself to Jesus, or my story to the Greatest Story Ever Told or having ADD to being crucified.. 

BUT - for those of us who seem to have more 'death's - of jobs, of marriages, of finances - we need to have the faith that there's a 'but' there for us. A comma in the sentence. 'His marriage failed and he was broken-hearted , BUT he learned how to accept his failure, understand how to have better relationships and be a better partner, and do the right work to create that possibility.' 

Faith- belief without proof- is hard for me, and maybe hard for you too. I have past failures to ruminate on, and I've always had difficulty envisioning a long term future. That may be ADD, or maybe it's just me. 

But ( there's that word again) I have to work at having it. Nurturing what faith I have, and working to create the proof that things in my life can and will get better.