Life is.....hard!

Life is hard, and then you die! Ever heard that one? Ever said “that one”? You know, I’ve found that you don’t actually have to speak those particular words to communicate that message to others. For instance today was a very, very, HARD (STINKIN HARD) day! Things went from kind of bad, to really bad, to STINKIN BAD! All of the sudden I found myself in the midst of circumstances that were…….well, “kicking my hinny”! What did I do you ask? Well, I did what any fine upstanding CHRISTIAN man would do. I prayed about the problem, shrugged off all my worries, and turned that sad, sad frown upside down! YEAH RIGHT!!! Are you kidding me? I did what anyone else do. I pouted, whined, became ANGRY, and decided LIFE IS HARD, AND THEN YOU DIE!!!!!! I know. You are ashamed of me. I guess I am ashamed of me also. I really wish I had chosen to respond to my situation in a more positive manner, BUT I did not! Alas, I am human. You know the funny thing is that no one had any problem recognizing that Ken Richmond was in a BAD mood. My students could tell. My friends could tell. AND, I can assure you my family could tell. A mean face and a FOUL disposition coupled with an endless procession of moans, groans, and gripping will always give it away! So, here I sit. The end of another day, maybe a wasted day. What should I do? What can I do? Well…..I DON”T need to let it (you know, being MAD) continue to destroy my . The truth is despite my complete failure to deal with life in a Godly manner, God still likes me. As a matter of fact He loves me just as much as He did yesterday (which was a MUCH better day). So just like any other kid who “scrapes his knee” on the rough hide of this world. I ‘m going to my Father who will once again set me on His lap and kiss the boo boos bye-bye! The word says, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Good thing because today I was convinced that life is hard, and then you…….well you know!

“Life is hard, and then you die!” Ever heard that one? Ever said “that one”? You know, I’ve found that you don’t actually have to speak those particular words to communicate that message to others. For instance today was a very, very, HARD (STINKIN HARD) day! Things went from kind of bad, to really bad, to STINKIN BAD! All of the sudden I found myself in the midst of circumstances that were…….well, “kicking my hinny”! What did I do you ask? Well, I did what any fine upstanding CHRISTIAN man would do. I prayed about the problem, shrugged off all my worries, and turned that sad, sad frown upside down! YEAH RIGHT!!! Are you kidding me? I did what anybody else would do. I pouted, whined, became ANGRY, and decided LIFE IS HARD, AND THEN YOU DIE!!!!!!

I know. You are ashamed of me. I guess I am ashamed of me also. I really wish I had chosen to respond to my situation in a more positive manner, BUT I did not! Alas, I am human.
You know the funny thing is that no one had any problem recognizing that Ken Richmond was in a BAD mood. My students could tell. My friends could tell. AND, I can assure you my family could tell. A mean face and a FOUL disposition coupled with an endless procession of moans, groans, and gripping will always give it away!

Something else I learned from this glorious experience. Bad attitudes are catchy! Kind of like strep throat (Man I hate strep throat!). As the day progressed, I found that my students weren’t acting so nice, my friends seemed to possess a snotty disposition, and my family decided it was certainly a no good, horrible, very bad day! Coincidence? I don’t think so. You see, the bible says that the “power of life and death is within the tongue”, and my tongue was spewing forth some rather toxic commentary on life and the common man (that would be me….common). So, here I sit. The end of another day, maybe a wasted day. What should I do? What can I do?

Well…..I DON”T need to let “it” (you know, being MAD) continue to “eat my lunch”. Also, I suppose I should ask everyone to forgive me for being a ROYAL PAIN all day. Heck, I might even need to talk to God about it. And then…….?

Well, the truth is despite my complete failure to deal with life in a Godly manner, God still likes me. As a matter of fact He loves me just as much as He did yesterday (which by the way was a MUCH better day). So just like any other kid who “scrapes his knee” on the rough crude of this world, I‘m going to go to my Father who will once again set me on His lap and kiss the boo boos bye-bye! The word says, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” That’s good news because today I was convinced that “Life is hard, and then you”…….well you know!

Ken